Here We Go Again
by ichocolate21
Summary: Or so we thought. But not this time! This time Helga was going to show Arnold who she really was! Lucky for her she has a whole year to do it. Nothing can go wrong, Right? Oh boy...here we go again... HelgaXArnold PhoebeXGerald
1. Chapter 1

Arnold pressed his face against the window of the car. He watched as his surrounding became familiar again. A wave of nostalgia went over him as he realized where he was, Hillwood, his old home.

"Hey son, would you mind not smudging up the window? I know you are excited but we just cleaned this car."

"Sorry Dad, I'm just so excited!"

"We know sweetie, don't worry, we will be home soon."

Arnold smiled at his mother before returning his attention back to the window, without smudging it.

It's been 9 years since he was last in Hillwood. After finding his parents journal and he was able to find them in San Lorenzo. After living there for 9 years Miles and Stella decided that it was time for Arnold to return to Hillwood for his final year in high school. Arnold couldn't have been more stoked. He had missed his friend Gerald despite the fact that he visits every summer, but it wasn't the same as seeing him every day. Now they were going to be in school together. He would even get a chance to see his grandparents again. Arnold was practically shaking in his seat as his parents pulled onto the block of the boarding house. There standing outside was his grandparents. As soon as the car stopped he rushed out.

"Grandpa! Grandma!" Arnold enveloped his grandparents in a huge bear huge.

"Jeez Shortman, I guess I can't call you that anymore." Grandpa chuckled. Arnold truly wasn't short anymore, and despite the fact that it was his last name, he showed no sign of the name being true. He towered over Gertie now and was a couple of inches higher than Phil.

"Yeah, I guess I had a growth spurt while I was in San Lorenzo." Arnold said scratching his head

His parents soon followed. "Mom…Dad…It's good to see you again"

"Glad to see you're staying longer"

"That's the plan." Miles said making a gesture to all the luggage they carried.

"Well let's not stand out here any longer. Come on now" Gertie said opening the door to the boarding house.

Arnold sighed in content as he breathe in the familiar surrounding that enveloped him. He looked around in happiness to see that nothing has changed. Well, almost nothing.

"It sure is quiet without the other boarders" Arnold noted as he was welcome with an eerie silence, something that he wasn't used too. The memory of everybody welcoming him home and the sound of the various animals were now replaced with a slight ticking of the clock.

During those nine years away a lot of things changed within the boarding house. Susie finally had enough of Oskar lazy and uncaring antics and left him. They are supposed to be getting a divorce but Oskar refuses to sign them. Arnold still hope that could be a sign of Oskar still wanting to be with Susie but everybody else reboot his claim as Oskar just being lazy. Mr. Hyunh decided to leave the house and go back to Vietnam with his daughter Mai. As for everybody else, they all decided it was time to move on and find another place. The boarding house was now free and unoccupied with plenty of room to go around. Arnold couldn't say for sure if he liked it this way but he did enjoy having a lot more space but a part of him still miss his "_family_" that he spent his childhood with.

"They always find an excuse to come back here, we barley was prepared for that entourage last Thanksgiving." Phil said with a shudder at the memory.

"I'm going to go get the rest of the stuff from the car" Arnold said as he hurried back outside eager to help.

"Need some help son?"

"Nope I got it Dad" Arnold voice came out as a murmur before the door was shut.

Miles chuckled at his son antics. He was still as helpful as always.

Arnold looked around the car with a smile on his face.

Nothing has changed. He had expected an overwhelming supply of dust and cobwebs but his grandparents' weekly dusting kept the house fresh and clean, like he never left. It really was great to be home, his real home. Arnold thought as he collected all of the bags from the car. A lone bottle rolled out of the car. He bent down and took it as his thoughts went to a different subject.

His first day of high school was this Monday and Arnold could hardly wait to see all his friends again. He was practically bursting with excitement. He couldn't think of one person he wouldn't want to see.

Arnold almost forgot that he still had the bottle in his hand. Remembering that a trash can was right behind him he chucked the bottle with even bothering to turn around. Instead of hearing the swish or even the clatter to signify he missed, Arnold was surprised to hear a totally different noise, in fact, it was a human noise.

"Ow!"

Arnold quickly turned around to see who made that sound.

* * *

Helga let out a sigh as she kicked a stray rock out of her path. She was piss. More than piss in fact she was livid. Once again Bob had blame her for something completely unfair, I mean gosh it's not like it was her fault he forgot to pay the cable bill but of course he used her as excuse for all his life problems. And who came to her rescue? Absolutely no one! Miriam was passed out drunk on the counter, after fixing one her infamous "smoothies". When this usually happened she would call Doctor Bliss or Phoebe in a heartbeat but unfortunately for Helga, Big Bob also forgot to pay the phone bill. So with no outlet for her frustration, she went straight to plan B. Helga let her feet carry her to the place she knew all too well. With her head down, she finally stopped and looked up to see the boarding house, the house where her beloved once lived.

"Arnold" Helga sat on the stoop as her thoughts went back to her long lost love. Whenever she was down in the dumps she would sit on his stoop and think about that blasted football head. She tried to think what he would say if he knew what she was going through. Imagining Arnold voice cheering her on helped her stay optimistic about everything in her life.

"Okay Pataki, Just one more year, one more year before you're out of Big Bob and Miriam life." Helga whispered to herself trying to reassure that soon this whole experience would be over but of course it didn't help.

"Oh, who am I kidding!?" Helga exclaimed as she sprang up from the stoop. "Once I go to college I be constantly put on a pedestal thanks to my, oh so perfect sister, Olga! I mean criminy! They even want me to go the same school as her! I mean yeah, with my grades that will be a no brainer but can't I choose my own path. Arnold sure as heck got the chance to choose his, since he hightailed it out of here! Arnold, What a jerk! What a maroon! What an incompetent idiot! How I despise Him! And yet…"

Helga looked around just to make sure nobody else was listening to her rant. She didn't care if anybody heard the first part she usually would just reboot them with a "what are you looking at bucko!" or a "You better keep walking unless you want the wrath of ol' Betsy and the five avengers!" But this part, no one can hear it, or at least she tried to make sure no one heard it but sadly a certain someone always seem to appear right behind her while she was ranting. This time she tripled check to make sure he wasn't behind her.

"I adore him. Arnold, how envy your freedom from this cruel world in which we lived in. How I wish I could have gone with you to paradise but at last my love you escaped from my grips. Oh Arnold my darling, I truly am happy that you found you long lost parents but here I stand still scorned by my parents. If only you were still here Arnold, maybe, just maybe I could have kept up this charade. But I am starting to be at my wits end. Oh Arnold…if only you came back." A sound of a door opening interrupted Helga's rant.

Surprised, Helga quickly scurried behind the trash can. Helga was confused, last she checked all the boarder left and Gertie and Phil barley left the house. Helga peek her head out of the trash can to see who it was. She nearly collapsed at the sight of him.

Arnold.

Her beloved was right there In front of her. Did God answer her prayers? Did he hear her rant?

"Thank you!" She mouthed to the sky as she clasped her hands together blissfully. She couldn't believe Arnold was right here! She was truly in heaven. She must be dreaming. She hoped she wasn't. Please send me a sign to know that I'm not dreaming!

A bottle was the answer to Helga pleas, and it hit her right on top of the head.

"Ow!" She quickly grasped her head in pain; Leaping from the trash can at the shock of being hit on the head.

"I'm so sorry miss; I didn't know someone was behind me." Arnold quickly rushed to Helga aid.

Usually the old Helga would have unleashed a barrage of punches at her unsuspecting victim, but she could hear the remorse in his voice.

She sighed as she kept her head down still rubbing her head. "Its fine, it's my fault too for not being more observant." And for sitting next to a trash can, I mean where else was the poor guy supposed to throw it. At least he wasn't a litter bug.

"Um…excuse me…but do I know you…you look familiar."

"I don't think so." Helga said her head still bowed down, her hair hiding her face. Ah, the pain a little bit better now. She lifted her head to be met with a pair of eyes. Wait…those eyes look familiar…didn't she write a poem about those eyes? Your eyes like two green jelly beans

ARNOLD!

Helga froze instantly she was literally a few centimeters away from her, Arnold.

This can't be happening! I'm not ready for this!

Meanwhile Arnold was also frozen, at how beautiful this girl was. He wasn't able to get a good look at her before since he was so preoccupied over the fact that he hurt her.

But now that he was actually looking at her, she was gorgeous. She looked to be about his age. Her golden blond hair cascade down her shoulders, her bands covered her entire forehead, including her eyebrows, and her eyes they were memorizing.

He could stare at them forever…Actually he was doing that already.

He was so busy looking at her that he didn't realize how close to her his was.

Helga did. And she reacted.

Arnold felt the wind get knocked out of him and his eyes was filled with the blue sky. He quickly got up as he realized that he just got pushed and the girl was now half way down the block.

"Wait!" He called after her but his voice was lost in the wind. He groaned as he lay back on the ground. Whoever that girl was…he hoped to see her again…soon.

* * *

_HUZZAH! I always wanted to write a Hey Arnold story, I love this cartoon, and Helga is by far my favorite cartoon to character. We are so similar! I wanted it to have a complete ending, kinda like As told by Ginger. But blasted Nickelodeon canceled it. -_- Hopefully Nick will come to their senses and we can get the jungle movie. (crosses fingers) But until than, I hope you guys enjoy reading this! Please Review and see you later~_


	2. Chapter 2

Arnold gazed up at the sky, His mind still in the act of processing what he had just seen. He couldn't believe he meet such a beautiful girl within minutes of returning to Hillwood. Did she move here? She had to, he thought, he would have definitely remember her if he knew her in P.S.118. Despite that he couldn't shake off the this eerie feeling that he knew her. But as He tried to search his mind for the right face of his past to compare to this new vibrant face, he felt a sharp blow to his side that sent all thoughts of the girl on a temporary halt.

"OW!" Arnold immediately jolted up and grabbed his injured side. He muttered inaudible words under his breath and looked up angrily to see his offender. That anger was quickly replaced with joy at the sight of a familiar Afro head.

" Dude,What are you doing on the ground? I know you miss Hillwood but Dang, you don't just lay down in the middle of the street. Do you know how many people walked on this sidewalk?" Gerald said with a raise eyebrow.

"Gerald!" Arnold leap from the ground and wrapped Gerald in a huge bear hug.

"Hey Man, How you been?" Gerald chuckled as Arnold removed himself from him and they did they signature handshake.

"I've been great! It's great to be home!"

"Yeah I'm glad you're here to stay this time. Those annual summer visits wasn't cutting it for me. But enough about that." Gerald stared at Arnold questionably. "Seriously, What was you doing on the ground?"

Arnold smiled sheepishly as he scratched his head. "Oh you know, Admiring the scenery."

Gerald rolled his eyes at Arnold pathetic lie, He knew Arnold will tell him eventually so instead of pushing the subject he just responded with a "Whatever you say Arnold."

"Anyway, Come on Gerald we can talk upstairs. I have so many questions." Arnold eagerly led the way to his house as Gerald shook his head and follow in a slow pursuit.

* * *

Phoebe let out a happy sigh as she reread her summer homework. She did it the first day of summer vacation and all through she knew she did it to perfection she still felt obligated to read it again in case she missed something. After all school starts in a few days she would hate to make a stupid mistake like forgetting to write her name on the paper. But sometimes even she can admit that she was over thinking it. But she couldn't help it. What if she made a spelling error or grammar mistake? What if she used the wrong 'there' or the wrong 'night'? She couldn't bear to make such a kiddish mistake, that's why the day before school begins she would always call Helga so she could come over for a much needed girl chat and another set of eyes to look over her homework. Helga always complained and reassured her that her work was fine but she eagerly came anyway. This was beneficial for both Helga and Phoebe. It was a chance for Helga to get some much needed time away from the Pataki household, and it was a chance for Phoebe to make sure that her work was to the highest peak of perfection, which it usually is. Just as Phoebe was about to dial the number to Helga house, her door was flung open. Phoebe smiled as she set her phone down; she knew exactly who it was. She heard Helga collapse on her bed and Phoebe turned her chair away from her computer desk to see Helga faced down on her bed. This wasn't the first time that she seen Helga like this, now it was the time to just sit back and listen while Helga laid all her troubles out to her.

Helga muffled voice was barley heard but Phoebe was able to make out, "You wont believe who I just saw."

* * *

"So Gerald…" Arnold causally started.

"Yeah?" Gerald asked distracted as he tried to past Arnold car in the game.

"Is there anyone new in the neighborhood?"

"Huh? What do you mean by new?"

"Oh you know maybe a, just for random visual purposes, a beautiful blond hair girl who looks to be about my age wearing a pink headband?"

"Ugh! No!" Gerald exclaimed in annoyance as his car crashed into a haystack and blew up. He sighed and turned his attention to Arnold as he just now realize what he just said. "Wait…What did you just ask me?"

Arnold got up from his place on the floor and began to pace the room. "I meet this really amazing girl just now, I swear Gerald she was like the best looking girl I ever seen! She was just gorgeous! I know I never seen her before so she must be new that's why I'm asking you. So do you know her? Huh? Come on tell me!"

"Wait! Slow down!" Gerald said as he raised his hand signaling Arnold to stop. "Okay...Now start from the beginning."

* * *

"Who?" Phoebe asked confused. This is the first time Helga ever started a conversation like this. She would usually start ranting about how terrible Bob is or how useless Miriam is but this conversation is totally different and Phoebe was taken a back.

Helga mumbled into the pillow.

"Helga I can't hear you, the pillow is muffling you."

Helga sighed and lifted her head up, her lips moving indicating that she said something.

"I'm sorry Helga but can you please speak up."

"ARNOLD! OKAY! I SAW ARNOLD!" Helga shouted as she tossed her hands up in defeat and collapse back onto the bed this time with her face facing the ceiling.

"Y-you saw…Arnold?" Phoebe asked her mouth slightly gaped. That was the last thing she expected to come out of Helga mouth.

Helga nodded her head and place the pillow over her face.

"Well…What happened?"

"What happened? He was hot and gorgeous and I freaked and ran."

Phoebe nodded her head in understanding still processing this sudden information.

"Do you think he recognize me?" Helga asked removing the pillow from her face revealing the look of fear on her face.

"I don't know…I doubt it. Arnold not the best at putting faces together. Remember that time you pretended to be Cecile?"

Helga scowled. "Yeah, I remember. That stupid football head, how can you not tell that was me! Although I guess it was a good thing since I didn't want to explain my reasons for doing that."

Phoebe nodded her head and smiled as realization dawned on her.

"This is great!" Phoebe exclaimed. "You can use this to your advantage Helga!"

Helga face showed her confusion. "What do you mean?"

* * *

Gerald nodded his head as Arnold began to tell his story about the mysterious girl.

"So what do you think? Do you know her?" Arnold said after he finally finished.

"Hm…That's a tough one. I'll have to see her. But jeez Arnold, why do you always have to fall for the girls you don't know?"

"What do you mean, I don't fall for girls I don't know?" Arnold said confused and slightly offended

"Remember Ruth McDougal?"

"Ugh…Can we not talk about her." Arnold shuddered at the memory of his picture perfect crush being shattered before his eyes on that terrible date. "She was the only one."

"Cecile?"

"Oh…Yeah her too…"

"And let's not forget the pink book." Gerald motioned to his bookcase where the old fading pink book still stayed. "You obsessed over her for months, trying to find out who wrote it."

"And I would have too; If Helga didn't rip the last page. I just know the answer was on that page. But Helga just had to use it for a spit ball." Arnold crossed his arms and frowned at that memory.

"Who knows maybe the girl you met on the street was Helga G. Pataki."

Arnold and Gerald stare at each other for a moment before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

"Whew…That was funny. Speaking of Helga how is she?" Arnold asked wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I don't know, It's not like we have any classes together and she doesn't eat in the lunchroom so I barely see her. Hey remember the FTI incident?"

"Yeah, I remember that was weird…" Arnold touched his lips. "She kissed me and told me she loved me only for her to say it was the heat of the moment."

"Psh, I would have went off on her if she did that to me."

"But you know sometimes I wonder if she was just lying."

"Why would she lie about that?"

"Maybe she was scared that I would have rejected her."

"Well…Would you have rejected her?"

A knock on the door interrupted Arnold response.

"Hey we got sandwiches downstairs waiting for you guys if you want some." Miles voice came from the other side of the door.

"Coming!" Gerald and Arnold said in unison, the conversation forgotten at the offer of food.

* * *

"Think about it Helga. This is your chance to finally to have a clean slate with Arnold."

"How?" Helga asked skeptical

"By being yourself. Be the mushy gushy Helga that you always wanted him to see. Instead of hiding it just let him see it."

"You mean don't act like I did in P.S. 118?"

"Exactly, After all people change. I know Arnold not the type to hold a grudge. If you show him that you truly have changed he will surely accept you. You may become friends and maybe even fall in love. Than you will get married and have kids and I'll be the god mommy and-" Phoebe said squealing at the thought. She stopped herself and coughed as she realized she was over thinking again. "Um…well maybe that's thinking too far ahead but at least you guys will be friends."

"You know what Phoebe, you're right! It's time for Arnold to discover the real Helga G. Pataki! I won't repeat the past, this time it will be different! I swear! Thanks Phoebe you're the best!" Helga hugged Phoebe and bounced out of the room with a new found determination.

Phoebe chuckled at her friends antics but her face quickly was overcome with dismay when she realize Helga forgot to read her homework.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!"_

Arnold let out a yawn as he slammed his hand on his homemade alarm. He sat in his bed and stretched before looking groggily at the clock. He sighed when he saw the time, 6:30 am. It feels like he just went to sleep. Probably because he just did go to sleep an hour ago. Thanks to those first days of schools jitters, Arnold wasn't able to get a wink of sleep last night. After Gerald feel asleep on him on the phone and with no other options beside stare at the ceiling or pick his nose, Arnold unconsciously fell asleep. Now after he was able to close his eyes and get some sleep he had to wake up again. He should of just took some Nyquil like Phil said.

Oh well, no time to think about that. Ugh…If only I could sleep for a few more minutes.

But he couldn't, Gerald would be waiting for him at 7:30. Reluctantly, Arnold dragged himself out of bed and shuffled slowly to bathroom.

* * *

Helga let out a happy sigh as she brushed her teeth. The first day of her final year! After years of distress and unfairness, One year was the only obstacle between her saving grace, College. At first Bob tried to get her to apply to community college but there was no way she was staying within walking distance from her prison to her school.

Just one more year girl and you'll be home free. She thought to herself as she spit out the remaining toothpaste.

She smiled in satisfaction when she saw nothing but her pearly whites and left the bathroom to get dressed. Now this was of high importance. Rhonda taught her that the clothes you wear on the first day of school will be the most important outfit of the whole school year beside the prom dress because it sets a lasting first impression and your reputation for the whole school year.

Since becoming friends with the reigning queen of Fashion, Helga has experienced all the great perks that come with it. Those perks included VIP seating to the latest clubs, invitation to all the biggest events, and not to mention spectacular birthday gifts. For her birthday last year, Rhonda took her on a shopping spree at one of the most expensive and stylish boutiques in Hillwood. At first Helga declined saying it was too much but was immediately reassured when Rhonda replied with an "Oh please Honey, This won't even put a dent in my lunch money." So thanks to Rhonda, she was able to get a whole new wardrobe for senior year. It was a mutual relationship through. Rhonda helped Helga unleash her full fashionista potential while Helga kept Rhonda's haters at bay.

Not wanting to go to over the top, Helga opted for a hot pink off the shoulder top, a black pleated skirt, over the knee black socks, and matching pink converses. For her accessories she put on a gold bracelet and a gold necklace with a bow at the end of it. Now for the hair, Helga decided to show off her gold hoop earrings by pulling her hair back in a ponytail and placing a pink headband on top. Satisfied, she made her way down stairs for breakfast.

* * *

A knock at the door interrupted Arnold triple stack pancakes. He smiled as he realized who it was and wiped his mouth before walking to and opening the door.

"Hey Gerald"

Gerald looked at Arnold up and down.

"Seriously dude?"

"What?"

"We're not in fourth grade anymore."

"What are you talking about" Arnold asked confused.

"The plaid shirt" Gerald said he motion to his clothes

Arnold looked down at his outfit. He was wearing a plaid red shirt that wasn't button revealing his white tank top underneath, a pair of jeans, and red sneakers.

Looks fine to me Arnold thought as he shrugged his shoulders. "What? Plaid is classic"

Gerald shook his head before saying "Whatever you say Arnold."

Arnold rolled his eyes, If he had a nickel for every time Gerald said that line.

"We should get going"

Gerald nodded in agreement and made his way outside with Arnold following behind him.

* * *

"MIRIAM!" The sound of screaming greeted Helga as she made her descent downstairs. Great, Bob at it again, she thought as she watched her mother enter the kitchen.

"What is it B?" Miriam asked dully while sipping on her smoothie.

"What is it? Where's the food!? The groceries!? Didn't you go food shopping yesterday?"

Miriam tapped her forehead as she searched her mind for the memory of her last trip to the supermarket. "Groceries? Oh yeah! oh…honey it's a funny story really you see I did go shopping yesterday only…I accidentally left the groceries on the roof of the car and-"

Helga sighed as the story began to sound more and more familiar. Seriously how many times is she going to do this?

"That's just great Miriam, now what am I supposed to eat?"

"Oh gosh yeah… um well let's see…um…Oh I think I still have some pork grinds in the cabinet."

Helga heard Bob let out a groan as he face palmed.

I better get out of here before I'll be at the end of his aggravation; these situations usually always end up with me in trouble. Helga thought as she tiptoed to the door. Just when she was about to make her great escape Bob noticed her.

"Hey Hold it right there Missy!"

Helga let out a groan as she reluctantly closed the door.

"Front and Center."

Helga sighed as she dragged her feet back to her father.

"What is it Dad?" Helga said the last part as sarcastically as she could.

"I need you to run down to the doughnut shop and get me a 12 pack"

What!? Was he crazy? Wait…scratch that, she already knew he was.

"But Dad, I'll be late to school!"

"Well too bad! I can't sell beepers on a empty stomach! Now get to it! And don't forget the sprinkles!"

"But-"

"Go!"

Helga let out a few mumbles of curse words under her breath as she left the house in search of Bob donuts.

* * *

Arnold tapped the desk impatiently as he waited for the clerk to return. Being that this was his first year here there were still some things that needed to be taken care of. So instead of being in homeroom like everyone else, here he was standing in the main office waiting for his schedule to be printed so he could go to his homeroom although by the time it finally comes out it would be time for the next class.

Arnold let out a gusty sigh as he tried to stay optimistic. At first he was tired but as he got closer to his school, Hillwood High, the more that drowsiness became full blown excitement. So imagine his disappointment when he realized he had to go straight to the office. Boy, Gerald sure did have a good laugh at that. Impatient, Arnold was just about to ring the bell for the clerk to come back when the door to the main office opened.

Hm…Must be a teacher. Arnold thought as he leaned across the counter, not even bothering to turn around. Seriously where is this lady?

Ah finally. The clerk came back at that moment with his schedule in hand. Her neutral expression quickly turned to into a frown as she looked past Arnold to the person behind him.

"Late again Helga and on the first day of school" she said annoyed "Why am I not surprise?"

Wait…Helga…as in…Helga G. Pataki

Arnold whirled around and was shocked to see the girl of his dreams.

He stared at her in shock as he finally began to process that this girl was also the girl of his nightmares in 4th grade.

"Helga?" He asked skeptically, still unable to believe that they were the same person.

"H-Hello Arnold" She said with a gulp.

After all these years they faced each other once again.

* * *

_Hey, Sorry I been late with updates guys, I been really busy with the final countdown of school and preparing for college. I'll try to update more often so please be patient. I won't give up on any of my projects, Its just some come easier to me than others. Keep leaving reviews and I'll see you soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

Helga was out of breath when she finally made it to school. She burst through the doors and ran down the hall. She was only a few steps away from her homeroom when the bell rung. With a groan, knowing that if she entered now her teacher will send her to the office for a late pass, Helga decided to spare those minutes and just went straight to the office.

On the way there, she saw Phoebe at the water fountain.

Phoebe wiped her mouth and smiled. "Big Bob sent you on another errand, Helga?"

Helga scoffed and couldn't help but crack a smile. "Of course, Do me a favor Phoebe, Can you go in my locker and get my books, I have a feeling I'm going to be in there long." Helga motioned to the office

"Getting!" Phoebe said as she walked in the direction of Helga locker.

Helga stood outside the office. She knew what was going to happen when she would go in. That annoying clerk will lecture her about her hundredth lateness. But Dang it wasn't her fault! Helga loved to go to school. It was the only time she could leave that blasted house without making an excuse. But no matter what happens she always seem to come in late, either trying to wake Miriam after she passed out from her smoothie or doing stupid stuff for Bob. The only time they don't bother her is when Olga comes over. Helga realized she was wasting class time by just standing here and reluctantly open the door.

In front of her she saw a boy in a plaid red shirt.

He must be new she thought, but something about the boy made her look again. She took a good look at him; at his odd shaped head…it looked kinda like a…football.

"Oh Crap" Helga whispered softly

She was standing in the same room as Arnold. Lucky for her he hasn't noticed her yet. If she was quiet enough she could sneak out and just come back when he was gone. After all she was already late. Helga turned on her heel and reached for the door. Just when she was about to turn the knob, she heard a annoying voice.

"Late again Helga and on the first day school" Dang it, She said her name. "Why am I not surprise?" Helga knew it was over but she still couldn't bring herself to turn around as she felt his gaze on her back

"Helga?" She could hear the confusion in his voice.

Oh well it's now or never. Helga took a deep breath before she turned and faced him.

"H-Hello Arnold." She said sheepishly. God, How long has it been since she said his name. Now was the moment of truth. She tried to remember Phoebe plan. _Be nice Helga, Be you._

"Never thought I see you again Football Head" She said teasing. She almost wanted to slap herself. Why was she calling him that nickname? She knew he didn't like it.

"Y-yeah, I moved back to Hillwood." Arnold replied still in shock. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"So I heard." Helga mumbled as she played with her fingers and looked down.

An awkward silence passed before the clerk cleared her throat.

"Mr. Shortman, Your schedule"

Helga had to stifle her laugh. She never knew Arnold last name, it was so ironic that it's Shortman since he's towering over her now.

"Ms. Pataki, I have a late pass with your name on it." Clerk said mockingly

Helga grumbled before snatching the paper and exiting the office. She was surprised to see Arnold right behind her.

Nothing but Silence greeted them as neither of them knew what to say.

_Be Nice, Be Nice._ She chanted to herself. She looked back at Arnold. He was a sight to behold. His body held no trace of his childhood. She could see the lean muscle in his arm and couldn't but notice the confident way he stood. Seeing Arnold like this made Helga's hormones go crazy. She sighed and looked away before speaking.

"Um…D-Do you need help with your schedule?"

Arnold looked up, His eyes wide.

"W-What?"

"Well, this school is pretty big and I doubt you'll be able to find your class."

Arnold stared at her in silence. He could see her ears become red. She's nervous he thought. He smiled at the sight of seeing the mighty Pataki embarrassment and relaxed. This situation was surprising but he could see that she was trying. Helga, meanwhile waiting for Arnold response, was beginning to wish she never asked when she finally heard him speak.

"That would be nice, Thanks."

Helga let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Easy girl be cool…He's an interesting specimen of teenage hotness but you will prevail! Just calm down and be nice. With another deep breath she turned to face him. She reached for his schedule and took a glance over it. She snorted at what she saw. A.P. English. She was sure that the Gods were blessing her. To think she would have the same class as Arnold, Twice! She thought as she just realized he was taking Bio with her as well. She noticed another class, French. The memory of her time pretending to be Cecile entered her mind and she couldn't help but laugh at her childish antics.

Arnold tilted his head. "Is there something funny about my schedule?"

Helga shook her quickly tried to cover her mouth to stop her uncontrollable giggles. "It's nothing really. We have two classes together."

"Oh?"

"Yep A.P. English and Biology see?" She passed the schedule to Arnold so he could look at it himself but instead of just taking it, Arnold got closer to Helga and peered over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah you're right. Looks we have Biology first period." Helga blushed as she felt Arnold behind her. She didn't dare move. She could feel his body heat and his lips near her ear. She attempted to take another deep breath but the scent of his shampoo filled her nostril and invaded her senses. She couldn't think straight, He smelled so good.

"Are you okay Helga?" She heard his heavenly voice that sent a shiver up her spine. "Your face is really red."

Now, Helga was having an inner battle. She wanted to push him away from her and yell at him saying "Move it Football Head!" but she remember the promise she made to herself. For the hundredth time since seeing that blasted head that she loved, she repeated her chant. She will not push Arnold away…not this time.

"I-I'm fine!" She said as she took a couple steps away from him and tried her best to be natural about it. "Just a little hot is all."

She could see Arnold wanting to protest to her being 'fine' but before he even got a chance to the bell rung.

Whew…Saved by the bell.

"We better get going. We already missed homeroom. We don't want to be late to our first class." Helga said with a strained smile. Her heart was still pounding after that close encounter with Arnold and she was still trying to function normally.

Arnold nodded his head in agreement.

"Come on, It's this way." She started down the hall with Arnold tracking behind her. After a few moments he speed up slightly and began to walk next to her. His mind seemed to be preoccupied but Helga didn't care. The only thing that was on her mind was the fact that she and Arnold was walking to class together.


	5. Chapter 5

_Why do you always have to fall for the girls you don't know?_

Gerald words appeared in Arnold's head as he walked along side Helga.

Why does Gerald have to be right about everything? Was the question that ran through Arnold's mind after remembering that sentence.

Now he has to find out that he developed a crush on his childhood enemy. Talk about embarrassing. So much for riding off into the sunset with her. That would never happen with Helga G. Pataki and he wasn't being mean. He knew she felt the same way. When it came down to all those awkward kisses, it was just business, well except for the last one... But besides that Helga never saw Arnold as more than a pebble in her shoe that she had to kiss because of a play or some other crazy situation. And for Arnold that feeling was more or less mutual. While Helga always did annoy the crap out of him, He never hated her, in fact in some instances he even saw her as a friend. But Helga never saw it that way...or so he thought. By the looks of it, Helga silently walking Arnold to class with a hint of a smile on her face, it seemed like they were nothing more than friends walking to class together.

And that was the surprising thing.

Helga was actually being…nice. Well, the nicest he seen her in a long time. I mean she offered to walk him to class and so far on their walk she hasn't said one mean thing to him. He was ready to ask if she had amnesia again. Can time really change people? He would like to think so. Heck, he could get used to this new Helga. But he wasn't about to hold his breath. He couldn't count the times when Helga did a complete 180 only to go right back to normal. And Yes, nine years has passed but he wasn't going to count his blessings too soon. His advice to himself, don't be surprise when she changes again cause it will happen. But the one thing that did change about Helga was that she got cute, really cute, So cute in fact that he could even dare to call her hot. He quickly tried to shake that thought out of his head. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of finding Helga physical attractive. She tormented him for so long. Okay there's nothing wrong with saying she's cute. It's not like I like her or anything. But I'm not blind! She's right here wearing this amazing outfit that's hugging her body perfectly. He could see every curve and...No! No! NO! Stop it Arnold! But he couldn't help it. Even Gerald would say something if he saw her now.

Okay...I don't like Helga, but she is hot…and that's okay…

Arnold let out a sigh and took a fistful of his hair in frustration. His brain hurt from convincing himself. He didn't think he could keep this up much longer.

"You alright Arnold?"

"Yeah, Just…" Arnold fought back another sigh as he raked his brain for a excuse. "Over thinking is all."

"Oh, Phoebe does that all the time. I always tell her to stop that. They say stress could kill you."

Now she's worried about my health!? Arnold felt like he was in a episode of the twilight zone. This was a major change that happened out of nowhere. Everything else was the same, even his room! But Helga had to be the game changer. This was happening way to fast.

Before Helga could put his mind in another whirlpool. Helga caught the attention of a girl at the end of the hall standing next to their biology class.

"Oh speak of the devil. Hey Pheebs!" Helga shouted down the hall.

Arnold took noticed off the short Asian girl and could immediately tell it was none other than Phoebe Heyerdahl. She looked exactly the same. Still having that same obsession with the color blue, that rivaled Helga obsession with pink. But than again...He looked down at his plaid shirt before lifting off his blue hat that he continued to wear before putting it back on…is he one to talk? The only thing different about Phoebe was her hair, which she wore straight down, and her eyes, which was clearly seen now that it wasn't hidden by those glasses. Either she got contacts or laser eye surgery. Plus, she was smiling. Like really smiling. Phoebe had on this huge cheesy grin on her face as soon as she spotted Arnold. As if she had a dirty secret that evolved around him. He decided not to think about it to much and let it go as they approached her.

"Here you go Helga." Phoebe handed Helga her notebook. "I took the liberty of getting your next class material as well, just in case you was in there longer than expected."

"Thanks Pheebs, You're the best!"

Phoebe turned to Arnold and grinned. "Hello Arnold. It's great to see you again."

"Same to you Phoebe, How have you been?"

"Quiet well actually, But I'm afraid I cant go into much detail. Class is about to start." Phoebe emphasized this by tapping on her wrist watch

"Oh yeah your right. I'll see you inside Helga, Bye Phoebe." Arnold waved and walked into the classroom.

Phoebe shot Helga a knowing look. "So…"

Helga brushed a invisible strand of hair out of her face as she avoided Phoebe gaze. "So what?"

"How are thing preceding Helga?"

"Okay I guess…"

Silence passed through them as Phoebe stared at Helga with a smirk on her face. Her expression said it all but Helga wasn't going to give her plan credit just yet.

"Oh shut it Pheebs! I gotta get to class."

"Of course Helga. We'll talk afterwards." Phoebe giggled as Helga grumbled, knowing full well that Phoebe wasn't going to let the details of their first meeting go that easily.

She had to admit Phoebe's _Be you_ plan has been going pretty smoothly so far. Yeah he took her breath away sometimes and he was acting a little weird during the walk to class but at least he was tolerating her…wait wasn't that what he was doing anyway? It's not like he enjoyed being with her. Plus he needed to get to class. Of course he would walk with her, it was either that or get lost. Back to the drawing board I guess. It was stupid to get my hopes up…No! Helga tried to clear her mind of the negative thoughts as she scanned the room for Arnold. It was already filled with students, talking excitedly about the summer and the new school year. Arnold didn't know anybody in here as far as she could tell. So where the heck is he? While she continued her scavenger hunt, she reminded herself that this would take time. And she wasn't hoping for anything after all. Just his friendship and that will be easily attained since we're talking about the peace making Arnold. But what if he changed? What if he didn't want anything to do with her? What if- Ugh! Stop Pataki! Small steps. Just focus on one thing. And that's being acquainted with him first. And that will be easy. Just be nice…

What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously where is that football head? Ah, there he is! Helga picked up her pace as she spotted Arnold across the room talking to someone.

Who is he talking to?

Helga strained her neck as she tried to make out the person Arnold was talking to so happily. Her signature scowl spread across her face as she saw a familiar brunette with green ribbons.

You got to be kidding me…

"Hey, Helga" Arnold smiled as Helga approached the two. "You remember Lila right?"

How could I not. If there one thing Helga had come to hate more than Big Bob it was Lila. She had good reasons too. Lila's personality did a complete 180 and she changed into a girl's worst enemy. A boyfriend stealing, backstabbing, fake, slut. And that was the nice way of saying it. Unfortunately, like a succubus, the boys were immune to her evil ways and only saw her as the sweet girl she was in 4th grade. Helga couldn't figure it out. I mean one look at her and anyone with a peanut for a brain could tell that this girl was nothing more than a sleaze.

Helga curled her nose as she took in Lila latest outfit. A green crop top that showed off her matching belly ring with denim high waist mini shorts and silver sandals. She twirled a strand of hair as she popped a fresh stick of bubblegum. As if on cue, Lila went into her role and said her Oscar winning line.

"It's ever so nice to see you again Helga." Lila flashed Helga a charming smile.

"Hello Lila" Helga hissed through her teeth.

Why did she have to have a class with her of all people! This will definitely ruin her plans. Helga was able to ignore Lila all these years. I mean she tried to be nice to her. But her behavior was sickening and she couldn't put up with it anymore, so she and the rest of the girls dropped her as a friend. Who knows who Lila hangs out with now. Probably people who have the same habits as she do.

"How exciting for us to be in the same class together" Helga thought she was talking to her and was about to remind her that they had Algebra freshman year together but realized that Lila's full attention was on Arnold. "I'm all so sure that I never had a class with you before."

Poor oblivious Arnold simply smiled and kindly continued the conversation "Yeah I think we only used to talk at lunch or at recess back at P.S. 118.

"Oh But didn't you move?" Lila tapped her forehead and batted her eyelashes innocently "I remember it being ever so quiet during recess after you left. I didn't have anyone to talk too." Helga wanted to let out a laugh. She had boys surround her everywhere she went. What a liar!

"Jeez, that's too bad Lila." Arnold said sympathetic "Well, I'm back so I guess we will be talking more now"

To Arnold, he was just being friendly, but to Lila it was an open door invitation to first base, and just like that Arnold became Lila Sawyer new target.

"Oh That's great Arnold! Just great!" She grabbed his hand and bounced up and down in glee.

Helga couldn't stomach it anymore. She was ready to grabbed Lila by the hair and pull her off of him. But she knew it would blow everything. She couldn't go back to that Helga. She refused too. But she wasn't about to stand here and be ignored either! As she debated on what to do, the science teacher, Mr. O'Malley came into the room.

"Okay everyone settle down and find a seat!"

Helga sighed in relief as Lila let go of Arnold hand and plopped down on the nearest stool.

Mr.O'Malley waited till everybody settled down before continuing his speech.

"Welcome to Biology! My name is Mr. O'Malley and I will be your teacher."

"Are you sure you're not a student?" Some kid from the back of the class let out and that caused a few giggles to go through the room.

"Very funny." Mr. O'Malley smiled nervously. Helga could tell this guy hasn't been teaching for very long and by looks of it was intimidated by high school students. She could tell he was going to be stepped on this year. Sucks, she was looking forward to biology...For obvious reasons she sighed longing at the cornflower hair boy that sat in front of her.

"Now before we get started I'm going to assign everybody an assigned seat and a lab partner. Than we can begin the real fun."

Helga bite her fingers nails as Mr.O'Malley read names off the list. She wanted to desperately be paired up with Arnold. Just the thought of sitting next to him five days a week made her blush. But then she began to think realistically. Pataki…Shortman…it wasn't going to happen. But…The girl could dream right?

"Helga Pataki…" Helga shot up in her seat and crossed her fingers.

_Please Please Please_ "And…" _Please Please Please_

"Vincent Pars." Helga let out a groaned and slumped down into her seat. So much for miracles. She turned around to see who her lab partner was, and recognized the guy who called out early in class. Great, she will be partner up with a class clown. Just great…

"Lila Sawyer…"

Oh well, It couldn't get any worse.

"And…Arnold Shortman…"

…No…Please tell me I imagined what I just heard…

But she didn't, Helga took one look at the giggling Lila and Arnold flashing her a smile, and knew what she was heard was true.

Yep, It was going to be a long school year.


	6. Chapter 6

While everybody minds was hard at work trying to answer Mr.O'Malley first question, "How would you define Biology?" Helga was preoccupied with finding out what Arnold and Lila was laughing about. To others who weren't focus on their work it would seem like innocent casual conversation between partners. But Helga could see the true intentions of a certain brunette. She was laughing a little to hard and gently touching his shoulder a little too much. It wouldn't take long for any observant girl to realize that Lila was doing a little trick called innocent flirting. It was Step One in her process of getting a boy. You keep your actions to a minimal to make it seem like you have no other intentions other than being a friend while you use every excuse in the book to touch him in hope that it will spawn a reaction.

Helga nibbled on her pencil and tapped her fingers against the desk as she watched in agony. She strained her ears and predicted Lila's next step.

_She's going to grab his hand in 3...2...1... _

"Oh My...Arnold!" Lila suddenly exclaimed loud enough for Helga to hear through the mindless chatter of their classmates. Helga was surprise Mr.O'Malley hadn't realize that nobody was discussing the question. He just kept smiling in his new teacher bliss.

"Your hands are freezing!" Lila grabbed and rubbed them.

"Yeah, The AC is on a little to high." Arnold smiled unaware of Lila's plan.

"Let me warm them up for you." Lila casually brought their intertwined hands closer to her chest and rested them on her breasts.

"Is that better?" She battered her eyes and blew on his hands.

Helga was 10 seconds away from sprinting to their table and drop kicking Lila in the face, but there was one thing that stopped her.

Arnold frowned.

It was slight but still obvious as the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Um...Yeah...Thanks Lila" He removed his hand and stared at them with a puzzled expression.

"HA!"

Everybody turned to stare at Helga who was doubled over laughing madly.

"Whew..." Helga wiped her eyes and leaned back into her seat.

"What's the problem?" She asked slightly confuse. "Get back to work people!" She clapped her hands together before grabbing her pencil with a smile.

"So Vincent, what does Biology mean to you?"

"Um..." Vincent looked at her like he was surprise she wasn't at a mental asylum. But what did she care? This was the best thing that had happened to her all day.

Arnold rejected Lila!

And for once, Helga didn't have to interfere. She counted her blessings at that thought. If she had interfered her seemingly perfect plan would eventually backfire on her...Just like they did in the past.

The rest of class went on uneventful as Helga happily hummed her way through class while doing all the work. She wasn't even upset about Vincent sleeping or cracking jokes. Nothing could ruin her good mood! But she knew she would have to show him a glimpse of the Pataki temper if he slacked off again. But she would worry about that another day, as the bell rang signaling the end of class. She skipped out of the door in bliss to her next class. She was already in front of her classroom door when she realized she left Arnold in Biology.

"CRAP!" She exclaimed and bit her lip.

He didn't know his way around the school so he would have to ask somebody for help…No doubt that person would be Lila Sawyer. What if they were walking together? What if, at this very moment, Lila was tossing him into the nearest janitor closet and tearing off his clothes while Arnold helplessly screamed rape. Her imagination was running rampant. Realizing that she was wasting time by just standing there thinking about it, she turned on her heel ready to race down the hall to save her beloved from that perverted snake but a voice stopped her.

"Going somewhere Ms. Pataki?" Helga turned her head and saw a middle age woman, who looked a lot like that annoying secretary, glaring at her."I'm pretty sure Pre-Calculus is in this classroom."

"Sorry Miss..." Helga squint her eyes to look at the woman's name tag.

_Who wears name tags in school anyway? _

"Ms. Blum" Helga smiled and tried to walk into class but Ms. Blum blocked the entrance. She glared down through her horn-rimmed glasses that was sliding down her pointy nose. With a finger she pushed them up her sweaty face.

"My sister told me all about you. Your reputation exceeds every student here. But let me tell you something little Missy." Ms. Blum jabbed the same finger into Helga chest. "I will not stand for your funny business in my classroom! No schemes or disrespect will be allowed!"

Helga opened her mouth to protest.

"Hush! You're a troublemaker and everybody knows it so it's no used trying to deny it or make me think otherwise. Your Father told me to keep a careful eye on you and I attend to do just that."

Her father told the teachers this? Helga was ready to explode.

"But-" Ms. Blum turned from Helga and marched into the class, leaving Helga with an open mouth and a fiery anger.

She always wondered why the teacher gave her such a hard time; rather it was glares in the hallway or detention for the smallest thing. Now she knew why. It was because of him, the source of all her problems. She wondered what he said to them exactly. She would have to confront him when she gets home.

But what about know?

She was furious, shaking with anger. She wanted to pummel something. She tried to calm her breathing. She could hear herself breathing….breathing really hard...it sounded more like...wheezing. In fact she could actually feel somebody breathing on the back of her neck. Reacting on instinct, Helga let her fist fly back and she felt it made contact with a nose and a pair of glasses. She turned around to see what she hit and gasped.

"Brainy?" Helga asked in shock as Brainy search the floor for his crumbled up cracked glasses.

"Jeez Helga, I just brought these." He chuckled softly. "If I knew I would see you today I would have worn my spare."

"Sorry about that, you surprised me." She grabbed her still beating heart while Brainy finally found his glasses. "Here let me help you up." She gave him his hand and pulled him up. She let out a gasp when Brainy stood up fully now facing her.

Helga eyes burgled out. It wasn't just because she was looking at her childhood stalker but also because of how different he looked and by different she meant hot.

His ash blond hair spiked upwards giving Helga a full view of his face. His sparkling green eyes were looking down at the very glasses that hide his green gems for years. Helga eyes wandered lower and traced the outline of his muscles that was easily seen through his tight yellow shirt.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you like that." Brainy voice stopped Helga's gaze from going any lower.

"I was going to say hi to you but you seemed really angry so I thought tapping your shoulder would have been a better option. But I guess it wasn't." He looked down sadly at his broken glasses.

"Sorry…" Helga voice wavered still in shock at Brainy's new look. "It's cool. I'll just have to seat in the front today." He said after chucking the broken glass in the garbage.

"You're in Pre-Calculus too?"

"Yeah I-"

The bell rang ending their conversation. They shared a look before racing into the classroom.

"Ms. Pataki." Ms. Blum grinned at her. "Late on the first day, why am I not surprised?"

Ugh…She even says the same annoying line.

"Sorry, Ms. Blu-"

"Detention."

"What!? But-"

"Take your seat Ms. Pataki" Ms. Blum turned her back and began writing on the blackboard. "Unless you want another one."

Helga bit her lip and spotted a spare seat in the back. She walked to it and took her seat. She crossed her arms and scowled at the teacher.

It wasn't fair! Brainy was right next to her and he didn't get anything!

"Fat old hag…" Helga mumbled under her breath and went into her bag for a notebook. She succeeded in ruining her mood again. Just as she was about to place her notebook on her desk a note flew on it. She cocked her eyebrow at the note and looked up to make sure Ms. Blum wasn't looking. Nope, she was still writing on the black board giving the class a perfect view of her triple rolls of back fat. Helga opened the note.

_(You forgot ugly.)_

Underneath the words was a drawing of Ms. Blum with a big beak nose, huge glasses, and moles all over her face. She was breathing fire and within the fire was the words "Detention Ms. Pataki."

Helga struggled to stifle her laughter. She smiled at the drawing and wrote on it. She folded up the note and threw it to her neighbor.

_(You're always catching my mistakes, Thanks Pheebs.)_

Phoebe smiled at Helga and mouthed "No problem." She than looked down at her notebook and began writing while Helga did the same.

Maybe Pre-Calculus isn't so bad.

* * *

"Here we are!" Lila stopped in front of a classroom.

"Thanks Lila." Arnold looked down at his schedule to make sure this was the right room. Sure enough there was Room 218 engraved on the door. This was definitely the right class.

"I'll see you later Arnold." She smiled and waved before leaving.

Arnold sighed and looked at his hand. He was still a little weird out over what happened in Biology. He wasn't a hundred percent sure but it looked like Lila was flirting with him. Arnold let out a breath and scratched his head.

Perhaps he was overreacting.

So many things happened today. He's still not use all these changes. That's probably what it is. He reassured himself before opening the door and walking into History class.

He instantly wished he didn't.

His hair blew back and he automatically covered his ears with his hands. There was noise coming from all direction including spit balls and text books. Granted, the bell hadn't rung yet but this was just crazy! He searched around the room for an empty desk or a desk that wasn't flipped over.

_Wait a minute is that? _

Arnold smiled and walked over to a familiar Afro head. Gerald was laying his head on the desk. His eyes closed and his headphones were in. Arnold grabbed his music player and cranked up the music to its highest volume. He watched in glee as Gerald eyes twitched and his brows furrowed before he stood up abruptly and flung his headphones off.

"Ow…" He grabbed his ears in pain.

"Raise and shine!" Arnold smacked him on the back.

"Arnold!" Gerald glared at him while Arnold raised his hands up in defense. "Don't be mad Gerald. I was just doing you a favor. I woke you up to your favorite tune." He grabbed his headphones from the floor and offered them to Gerald who snatched them and placed it around his neck.

"Well, Thank you oh so much for that Arnold! I really appreciate it." Gerald said sarcastically before sitting back down. "You freaking jerk, I was having a really nice dream too." He pouted and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah…Yeah…" Arnold dismissed him with a wave of his hand and sat on the desk across from him. "Anyway, what's with this class? Why is everybody so…crazy?"

Gerald laughed. "Dude, this is Mr. Peabody's class. It's our only chance to have fun in this class so we're making the most of it. Don't worry everybody will be fast asleep in a minute." Gerald yawned and stretched.

"You doing it wrong then. You was sleeping before class even started."

Gerald shrugged. "When have I even been one to follow others? Besides, I was talking to Sid and Stinky earlier, you remember them right?"

"Sid and Stinky, they're in this class too?" Arnold scanned the room for a giant and a boy with a big nose.

"Yeah but they're not in here. They're on look out."

Arnold raised his eyebrow.

"You'll see. Anyway, how's your first day going?" Gerald took off his headphones and placed it safely in his bag along with his music player.

Arnold let out a laugh. "Crazy. You won't believe the day I had so far."

"Really?" Gerald sat up straight up and stared at Arnold with curious eyes. "Did you find the girl?"

Arnold opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the door swinging open crashing against the wall with a bang.

"He's coming!" Two boys varying in height screamed at the top of their lungs and raced into the classroom.

What occurred next was a fast paced game of musical chairs. Everybody frantically tried to return to their seats while other was cleaning in a record pace. Arnold watched in amazement, his mouth gaped open as his classmates cleaned the blackboard and swept up the floor before putting the materials away and returning to their seats. When the last person sat down the door instantly opened again.

The room went silent as a balding old man stepped into the room and shuffled his way to his desk. He sat down into it with a slouch and cleared his throat. He was looking straight at Arnold who was still seating on top of the desk.

"Sorry Sir…" Arnold blushed before settling into his desk while Gerald chuckled at him.

Looking at , Arnold couldn't understand why Gerald said what he did. Sure, He was old, but other than that he couldn't identify anything else that would make him fall asleep. Besides History was fun to him. From all the stories Phil forced him to listen too, he had grown accustomed to sitting still and listening to stories. He was confident the boring lectures wouldn't affect him. He watched Mr. Peabody in interest. He just couldn't figure it out.

Then he spoke.

"Good Morning…Class…" Mr. Peabody said in a monotone voice. His words were drawn out and spoken like one of those read along books for kids minus the peppy voice. Each word had emphasis on it and his face reflected his voice.

"I…will be teaching you….American…History…My name is…Peabody…Mr…Peabody…"

Oh Dear God…

Arnold grabbed his head and turned to Gerald who was already fast asleep, a pool of drool flowed from his mouth. Arnold scanned the room to see that everybody was doing the same thing. Didn't he realize everybody was sleeping? Arnold looked up at Mr. Peabody who was reading from the textbook. He didn't look up once and kept reading nonstop.

"There was…thirteen…colonies…Please…write them down as I...list them…Virginia… Massachusetts…New…Ha-"

Despite Arnold best efforts, he place his head on the desk. His felt his eye lids become heavy and he struggled to keep them up. He looked around the room to see a girl with red hair, who was sitting in the front listening intensely to Mr. Peabody and writing every word.

He wondered how she did it.

That question was still in his mind when he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Okay guys, sorry for how long this update took. College is keeping me busy but i'll try update when I can. I also apologize for how terrible my grammar and spelling is. I'll try to be more observant and catch it from now on. Hopefully I'll learn some great tips in English class. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please Review and i'll see you guys next time!_


	7. Chapter 7

The scowl on Helga face didn't disappear until the bell rung. She rose from her seat still fuming. If she was in a cartoon, you would have seen steam coming out of her ears. As if getting a detention tomorrow morning wasn't bad enough, Ms. Blum kept targeting her the entire class, asking her stuff that she was positive even the teacher didn't know if it wasn't for the textbook. Besides that it was the first day of class! She was ask to list all the exponents rules, while Phoebe got to describe each letter in PEMDAS.

Totally unfair!

Helga continued to grumble. She was so consumed by her anger, she didn't even hear Phoebe's question.

"Helga, did you hear me?"

"Huh?" Helga turned to her best friend who stood there waiting for her response. "Oh, sorry Phoebe. I'm just..."

Phoebe raised her hand to stop her. "It's okay Helga, I understand. Look on the bright side, at least you got a free period now. Gives you plenty of time to cool off."

Helga smiled. "Hey, yeah, I guess you're right. And I know just how I'm going to do it!" Helga smirked and cracked her knuckles.

"I hope it doesn't involved breaking any glasses?" Brainy said apprehensively after approaching the girls from behind.

Helga whirled around to face him and chuckled. "I won't be able to make any promises, if you keep sneaking up on me like that. "

Brainy raised up his hands and took a few steps back. "My bad, Please spare me! I come in peace."

"Hm...I don't know…" Helga cocked her eyebrow. "How can we be sure that you can be trusted?"

"You mean knowing me since 4th grade isn't enough evidence for you?"

"...Touche..."

Brainy laughed. "Look, I just wanted to know if I could go with you to study hall?" Brainy ran his fingers through his hair and flashed Helga a charming smile

Helga eyes widen in shock. She could feel her cheeks heating up and turning red.

Wait a minute….What was she getting all flustered for? It's just Brainy! It's no big deal, all he wants to do is keep her company for one measly period. It's not like it's some kind of study date or anything...Get a grip girl!

Helga smacked her cheeks and shook her head, trying to get her emotions under control.

"Um...are you okay?" Brainy stared at Helga with a look of confusion and concern.

"Don't worry about it. She's just giving herself a prep talk." Phoebe reassured him.

"Oh, well, what about you Phoebe?"

Phoebe shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I got French now. But I'll see you two at lunch."

Brainy looked slightly relieved and Phoebe took note of that. "Okay, Cool."

"Right...Well, I'll see you later Helga."

"Bye Pheebs!" Helga waved her goodbye as she and Brainy left together.

* * *

"Wakey Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!" Gerald tapped Arnold on the head. Arnold was knocked out with a pool of drool coming out of his mouth.

"Shoot, I reckon he's as dead as a possum the way he sleeps." Stinky shook his head.

"After listening to Mr. Peabody, can you really blame him?" Gerald joked while he stuck a pen up Arnold's nose, hoping that would wake him up.

"I'm just surprised that he actually held up for as long as he did." Sid looked on astonished. " He was the last person to fall asleep you know."

"Who didn't fall asleep?" Gerald pulled on Arnold's hair.

"Lizzie, you know the redhead who sits in the front?"

"Oh yeah...the new girl..." Gerald said out loud as he finally remembered the girl name. "You know what's funny, so far she's in all my of my classes and she hasn't slept in any of them."

"But Boy Howdy, was I shocked to see her still awake in this class."

"I reckon that girl is mighty strange."

"Well, I reckon Arnold needs to WAKE THE HECK UP!" Gerald screamed into Arnold ear.

Arnold leaped from his chair, startled, only to trip on his shoe lace and tumble to the ground. He picked himself off the floor with a daze look on his face, that made Gerald and the others roar with laughter.

"HAHAHA, Your facial expression! It's priceless!" Gerald was struggling to breath while Sid was literally rolling on the floor laughing and Stinky was holding his stomach.

Arnold glared at his friends. "I hate you guys…"

Gerald calmed his breathing a bit. "Is that what you say to the friend who woke you up for your next class that you now have," Gerald paused to look at the time on his phone. "2 minutes to get too?"

"WHAT!" Arnold immediately got up and grabbed his backpack. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER!?"

Gerald rolled his eyes. " I tried Einstein, but you was dead to the world."

Arnold groaned before sprinting out of the door, but on the way out he tripped on his shoe lace again and fell flat on his face. He could hear the guys laughing from inside the class, but he didn't have time to deal with them right now. He had one minute to get to class! He tucked in his shoe laces, took a quick glance at his schedule and raced down the hall.

The bell rung as soon as he stepped through the door. He was breathless and dripping with sweat.

It was then he noticed all the eyes on him.

Arnold face turned beet red. He wasn't sure if it was because he was out of breath or just embarrassed. Either way, at the moment, he decided it was because of the second option.

"Sorry, Ma'am." Arnold muttered to the french teacher who was also staring at him.

"Don't worry about it sonny." The teacher smiled sweetly in understanding. "It's rough the 1st day, just make sure it doesn't happen again." Arnold smiled politely and thanked her before searching the aisle for a spare seat. There was one right in the front next to an unexpected person.

"Hello Arnold." Phoebe smiled.

* * *

Helga was piss.

She was pissed off for numerous of reasons. But the main reason was because she was frustrated. And why was she frustrated you may ask? It's because she didn't understand what her emotions was doing. Why was her palms all sweaty every time Brainy "accidentally" touched them? Why was her heart pounding when he sat next to her in the library? Why was her cheeks flushed when he looked her straight in the eye and threw that pearly white smile at her?

WHY?

Study Hall was the worse, absolute worse, with Brainy. She couldn't even think straight. She was sure he was flirting with her, but it just wasn't possible right?

Not to mention, IT'S FREAKING BRAINY!

Why was her body reacting that way around him?

It was totally weird and not normal in Helga's book, but she knew the reason.

It's because he was hot.

And this hot guy was flirting with her. At least that's the conclusion she was drawing. But, she was still in the process of clarifying that he was, indeed, flirting with her. Either way, that kind of thing doesn't happen to Helga. Her reputation exceeds her and has stuck to her like gum thus far. Because of her 4th grade persona, many guys are intimidated by her. Sure, she was hot, but was it worth getting a broken nose over? That's the question most guys asked themselves before deciding to ask her out or not, and 9 out of 10, they eventually decide to stay clear. Not that it bother her much. She was way to busy with her own family drama to even consider the idea of adding boyfriend drama in as well.

Stupid freaking teenage hormones. Helga thought as she pretend to listen to Brainy talk.

Brainy was oozing with sex-appeal and Helga's body, deprived of male attention for so long, was reaching the end of it's self-control. She was 10 seconds away from jumping him when suddenly, she was saved.

And it wasn't a bird.

Or a plane.

Nope, it was the one...the only...

_**Rhonda Wellington!**_

Saving Helga from sticky situations, one rumor at a time!

The gossip queen literally snatched Helga from her chair while Brainy was in mid-sentence and dragged her to the hallway where she slammed her against the wall and pounced on her.

"What. Was. That?"

"Ow…" Helga massaged her shoulder gently and gave Rhonda the side eye. "What was what?"

"That!" Rhonda pointed to the library entrance.

"That my friend is a library. In there you will find magical portals called books that will take you on magical adventures you never even imagine for fr-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING!" Rhonda quieted her voice when she realized she was screaming. "You was talking to a boy, and not just any boy. A boy I never seen before. A boy who is super hot. So, I'll ask again. WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"Dude, chill. It's just Brainy."

Rhonda blinked. "...Brainy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're talking about PS 118, Brainy?"

"Yeah."

"Wheezing Brainy?"

"Yeah."

"The completely dull, utterly boring, fading into the background boy who used to follow you like a lost puppy except he was the puppy nobody wanted because nobody thought he was cute so they left him in the box in the pouring rain, Brainy?"

"...Yeah."

Rhonda opened her mouth again.

"STOP NO MORE!" Helga quickly placed her hand over Rhonda's mouth. "Okay! Yeah, times 10. Yes, for the last time, that's that Brainy!"

Rhonda cupped her chin in thought. "what a marvelous transformation he did...I must learn his secret."

"Hey, it's not like he's the first guy who went from not to hot."

"Who are you talking about?" Rhonda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion

"You know…" Helga smirked and wiggled her eyebrows.

"No...I'm pretty sure I don't." Rhonda said after raking her mental database for the right boy.

Helga smiled a wicked grin before breaking off into a song. " I'm so fine, the girls know I'm divine! The thing is, I'm sublime- it's really true you know;"

"NO!" Rhonda shrieked at the top of her lungs, grabbing her ears. "STOP SINGING THAT CURSED SONG!"

A teacher stepped out of his classroom ready to yell detention to the first person he saw but stopped in his tracks when he saw who it was. The man smiled clumsily at Rhonda who paid him no mind before slipping back into his classroom.

Helga was in tears. "Aw man, I was really into it too…"

"Dang it...I wish you never told me about that stupid dream."

After Helga lost her pink book, she had to start her poetry all over again. Along with her new poems, she also kept an additional book, the one where she wrote her inspirations. She wrote all of her dreams down into that book as well. Especially the opera one, I mean who could forget a dream like that? Even the songs was perfect! She had to include that in her book. So when her and Rhonda finally became close enough to the point where Helga felt comfortable enough to share her secrets, of course she told her about that dream. Rhonda was highly amused...until she got to Curly's part. After that, Phoebe and Helga would always sing Curly's song to Rhonda just for kicks, and she always reacted badly. Helga concluded, Rhonda does not have an appreciation for the arts.

"Okay, I'm sorry, it's just so funny." Helga laughed while Rhonda crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and sulked in the corner.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

Silence.

"I have gossip to tell you…" Helga began her bribe. Rhonda opened one eye to look at Helga.

"About Arnold."

That did it.

Rhonda squealed and shouted. "Well, what are you waiting for? TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME!"

"Hold your horses Princess! We have to do this right, with Phoebe and everything."

"No need for that, I'm already here." A small voice chimed in from behind Rhonda.

"Pheebs! Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Yes, but I had to go to the bathroom and since I knew the bell was going to ring in…" The bell rung at that moment. "...Now, I decided to just take everything with me and go."

Helga laughed. "You always have perfect timing Pheebs, But I don't want to talk about it here. Emergency meeting at Phoebe's house after school?"

The two girls nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good."

"Great!" Helga quickly went into the library and grabbed her stuff and started to walk with the girls to lunch.

"By the way…" Phoebe smiled mischievously. "I heard some singing on my way here."

"Oh, Really?"Helga smiled back and slowed down to walk next to Phoebe, who trailed behind the oblivious Rhonda. "Do you...remember how it went?"

"Hm...I think it went a little something like…BULLFIGHTS AND SWORDFIGHTS, ROLLING IN MANURE!"

"BLOWS TO THE HEAD I CAN ENDURE!" Helga joined in and they sang together loudly.

Rhonda head snapped around at the sound of the singing.

"NO!" She started to take off running down the hall with Helga and Phoebe right at her heels.

"FIGHTING BULLS IS ALL I WANT IN LIFE"

"PLUS I COULD USE A WIFE"

"You guys!"

"AND SEVERAL PAIRS OF TIGHTS"

" IN SHADES OF BLUES"

"STOP!"

"RHONDA, PLEASE SAY I DO!"

Helga and Phoebe burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, and had finish the song by the time the girls reach the lunch room doors.

Rhonda pushed through the doors frantically and disappeared inside the cafeteria.

"Aw, we lost her." Phoebe giggled as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah, but at least we got her to hear the whole song." Helga grabbed the handle to the cafeteria just when two students was coming out.

Helga mouth dropped when she saw who it was.

It was Arnold with a huge cheesy grin on his face, and his was walking with a girl Helga never seen before who had the same smile on her face. That smile fell when she bumped smack dab into Helga.

Helga glared unintentionally at the girl, who backed up immediately and apologize profusely. Helga was ten seconds away from demanding who this girl was when she heard Phoebe sharp intake of breath.

Tears was pouring down her face and she grabbed her mouth in shock.

"Lizzie?" Phoebe barely managed to let out through the tears before she took of running in the opposite direction.

Leaving Helga to wonder, what the heck just happened?

* * *

_Hi, all! It's been a while hasn't it? I wanted to say thank you for all the kind words in the reviews especially when it came to my terrible grammar. You guys are really understanding, and I thank you for that. I will edit and post when I can so please continue to be patient with me. Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and I'll see you next time, till than byez~_


	8. Chapter 8

"Phoebe wait!"

Helga barely let out as she raced down the hall. _Chimney, she sure does run fast. She really should join the track team._ Helga stopped her moment of admiration, when she saw Phoebe disappear around a corner._ Come on girl._ Helga attempted to motivate herself. _You can do it!_ Helga took a deep breath and with the last of her stamina, made a mad dash down the hall. She skidded to a stop and looked around while she attempted to control her breathing. It's been a while since she last ran that hard. She really hoped she wouldn't have to do it again. Phoebe was nowhere to be found. Helga scanned the hallway for any doors that Phoebe could have gone into. If her memory served her correct, whenever Phoebe was upset she would usually go to...Helga stopped in front of the girls bathroom. She pressed her ear against the door and could hear muffled sobs.

Bingo.

Helga pushed open the door and walked into the bathroom. The crying immediately stopped as soon as she entered.

"Phoebe...I know you're in here."

Silence greeted Helga's statement.

"You're really going to make me do this Pheebs?"

More silence.

Helga let out a sigh. _No other way I guess._ Helga dropped to her knees and peered underneath the stalls. She didn't see any sign of Phoebe's white sneakers. Another groan escaped Helga's lips as she realized what she had to do. Grumbling to herself the whole time, Helga slowly began to crawl underneath each individual stall in the hopes that one of them had a crying girl in them. She was in the second to last stall, was just about to continue crawling when she felt a blow to her head.

"Ow!" Helga stopped crawling and grabbed her head, before shooting a glare upwards. Her eyes widen when she realized she was glaring at a pair of white shoes.

"Sorry." Phoebe sniffed. "I tried to keep them up, but my legs started cramping."

Helga smiled softly. "It's cool Pheebs."

She rose from her spot on the ground and rub her knees. She then leaned against the door and waited.

"..."

"..."

"So…"

"So what?"

"So, are you going to tell me what the heck just happened?"

Phoebe rubbed her nose and sniffled again.

"It's complicated."

"I'm sure I can comprehend."

"...It's a long story."

Helga pulled out her phone. "We got time."

"...It's personal?" Phoebe said with a hint of hope.

"Personal?" Helga snorted. "Um Pheebs, did you forget who you're talking too? It's me, Helga G. Pataki. The one you tell everything too." Helga raised her hand and started counting off her fingers. "You told me when you had your first kiss, your first period, when you bought your first pair of contacts...Heck, I'm pretty sure I'll be the first to know when you lose your vi-"

"HELGA!"Phoebe's face flushed red.

"What? It's true. And don't worry, when I turn 40, you'll be the first to know too."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Helga please, not that again."

"Hey, I'm just being realistic. After all, You have way more experience than me in that area." Helga wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Ah...I remember it like it was yesterday. The day you and hair boy tied the knot. I'll never forget that day. The day I had to give my precious daugh- I mean friend to that idiot. A sad day indeed." Helga sniffled slightly and pretend to wipe her eyes of invisible tears.

"Oh, but the looks on those girls face were absolutely priceless. They were oozing with jealousy. Heck, I think that day you was more popular that Rhonda."

"Could you please stop talking about Gerald…" Phoebe sunk lower into the toilet seat. "We already broke up."

"...But you still want his body."

"Helga!" Phoebe gave her an angry pout. "You're supposed to be comforting me. Not begining up memories of my ex!"

"Alright, Alright! I'm sorry for teasing you." Helga giggled. Phoebe was so cute when she pouted. "You're right though. We shouldn't be talking about him. We should be talking about what just took place. And I suggest you start talking about it right now."

Helga crossed her arm and gave Phoebe an intimidating look. Phoebe knew it was all a front. In reality, she knew Helga would whine to her every hour and every minute of the day until she finally told. Better to get it over with. Phoebe let out a breath.

"You know my mom right?"

"Doi! Of course I know your mom. I been going to your house for years Phoebe. It would be pretty sad if I didn't know her."Helga uncrossed her arms as a new thought crossed her mind. "Hey, how is she anyway? She's due to deliver soon right?"

Phoebe nodded her head. "October is the estimated month of delivery."

" I still can't believe you're going to be an older sister." Helga smiled at the thought of Phoebe holding her little brother or sister in her arms. She knew she would make a great sister. She was a natural after all.

"Yeah, it will be a nice change of pace." Phoebe smiled sweetly, thinking the same thoughts as Helga. "It will be weird you know? Knowing I won't be the baby in the family anymore."

Helga giggled again. "Yeah…" _Wait...what? Baby is the family?_ Helga cocked her eyebrow.

"What?" Phoebe questioned Helga's look.

"What you just said, "Baby in the family". What do you mean by that?"

"Oh you know Helga, it's like if Big Bob and Miriam had a child." Phoebe waved her hand as if they were talking about something obvious. "You won't be the baby in the family anymore. Someone will be looking up to you."

"Yeah, but that's the thing. I have an older sister. You don't. You're not the baby in the family. You're the only child in your family...right?"

Phoebe bit her lip and twiddled with her thumbs. "Yeah...Um...see...about that…"

"Phoebe…" Helga crossed her arms once again. "What's going on?"

"Okay...the truth is...I have an older sister."

"What!" Helga frowned and screamed. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

Phoebe opened her mouth to respond but Helga continued her rant. "Wait, more importantly than that, how come I never seen her? I been to your house more times than I can count." Helga began pacing in the small stall as she tried to come up with an answer to this surprising news._ Base off of Phoebe's reaction._

"Wait a minute…" Helga turned to Phoebe. "that red haired chick...is she your sister?"

"Hel-"

"Oh my gosh! She is isn't she!?" Helga started pacing again.

"Helga, if you jus-"

"I mean now that I think about she looks just like your mom. The red hair...the green eyes."

"Helga, can you pl-"

"But why doesn't she resemble your dad at all? You guys don't look anything a like actually."

"Helga…"

"But then again, it could just be genes. Maybe you got all your dad genes and she got all of your mom's."

With that conclusion, Helga finally stopped pacing and ranting. Phoebe raised her eyebrow and concluded Helga was done.

"...Helga-"

"But, I still don't understand why you didn't tell me!" Helga started again, this time actually facing Phoebe. " I mean gosh Pheebs, I thought we was friends! Best friends in fact. All the times I told you how annoying Olga was and you couldn't stop and say "Oh by the way Helga, I have a sister too!" I mean jeez, who does that? Do you not like me? Do you not trust me? Dang it Pheebs, answer me! Why didn't you tell m-"

"HELGA!" Phoebe placed her hand over Helga's mouth mid-sentence. "Calm down!" Helga stared wide-eyed at Phoebe before letting her arms go slump.

"...Are you calm?"

Helga nodded.

"Okay...I'm going to remove my hand and when I do...I'll tell you about my sister and you will listen...quietly. Is that understood?"

Helga mumbled into Phoebe hand. Phoebe removed her hand.

"What was that?"

"Can I ask questions while you tell your story?"

"I would prefer if you would just listen first then ask me but yes, you may ask me questions."

Helga nodded.

"Okay?"

"Yep, I understand completely." Helga slid to the floor and placed her arms around her knees. Her eyes shined with curiosity. "Whenever you're ready Pheebs."

Phoebe half laughed and half sighed.

"Okay...My mom...she was married to someone else before she got with my Dad."

Helga raised her eyebrows in shock but remembered Phoebe's conditions and kept her mouth shut.

"She was married to her old husband for a about a year before they got a divorce"

"Short lived marriage…"

"Yeah, well they was young and she thought she was ready. She really believed they was going to spend the rest of their lives together. Plus, she was pregnant which made the situation even more drastic."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my grandparents were pretty strict about marriage and family. When they found out my mom was pregnant they were furious. They pretty much force the two of them to get married."

"So she didn't really love him?"

"She did, but neither of them was ready for marriage. They were young teenagers, starting their lives and already they had a huge responsibility on their hands. I think that's what really strained their relationship."

Helga nodded in understanding. She didn't get all the details but she understood enough. Phoebe took note of that and decided to continue.

"But anyway, they got married and a few months later my sister Lizzie was born."

"They tried to stay together but the relationship was really terrible. They fought all the time. And then after Lizzie's Dad found out about her affair, it just got worst. So then-"

"Wait…" Helga raised her hand to stop Phoebe. She said the second part so fast, she wasn't sure she got it. "Did you just say something about an affair?"

Phoebe sighed and dropped her head. "...Yes."

"You're mom had an affair! With who?"

Phoebe crossed her arms and cast her eyes down with a bitter smile on her face. "Who do you think?"

"Oh God..." Helga was struck with the reality of Phoebe's words and what it meant. "Phoebe, I'm sorry."

"So yeah, He filed for divorce and left my mom and Lizzie." Phoebe didn't miss a beat and continued her story as if nothing bothered her. "Can't really blame the guy. I would be pretty mad too if I found out my wife was pregnant with another man's baby. Gotta hand it to my mom, she hid it pretty well."

"How did he find out?"

"Well, let's just say he got a real good look when I popped out. I didn't look anything like him or my mom. So what else was he supposed to think?"

"Did your mom deny it?"

"How could she? The evidence was staring right at him with two almond shaped eyes. He left her that night and never looked back."

"So...what about your mom?"

"What about her? She didn't care. She moved on almost immediately. It's not like she had to go looking for a man."

Helga fell silent at all this shocking information. She couldn't find anything to say. Phoebe wasn't finish yet though.

"Anyway once I came into the picture and Lizzie got older she began to wonder what really made her parents separate. She put two and two together and found out I was to blame."

"But, you wasn't!"

Phoebe plastered a forced smile on her face that oozed with sadness. "Perhaps, but Lizzie didn't see it that way. She really hated my guts. At first it was just teasing. You know, being super passive aggressive. But then it got violent. She even got all the kids in my neighborhood against me. I didn't have any friends. I was so lonely…" Phoebe paused as the tears she been fighting this whole time threaten to come out. "Then...the accident happen."

Helga cocked her eyebrow and was tempted to ask what accident she was talking about, but the sight of a flood of tears coming from Phoebe's eyes stopped her thinking. She immediately wrapped her arm around her friend and comforted her the best she could. "S-She moved in with her father after that day." Phoebe struggled to finish her story. "I haven't seen her since."

"Until today...Oh, Pheebs...I'm sorry that happened to you. I-I had no idea. " Helga felt horrible. She pretty much forced Phoebe to tell this painful story. A story liked that, she never be forced out of anybody. All though her mind was swimming with questions, especially about that accident, she decided it was best not to ask. She refused to force anything else out. And she thought what she told Dr. Bliss was deep. Phoebe's past was even worse. To think they both went through so much pain at such a young age. It made Helga feel even more connected to her best friend. But, she still felt absolutely terrible.  
"I'm…I'm really sorry Pheebs."

"It's okay Helga." Phoebe sniffed and removed herself from Helga's chest. "It wasn't all bad memories. At that age, I also meet my best friend in the whole entire world. I will never forget the day she graced me with her presence. That blond hair and large pink bow."Phoebe sighed nostalgic with a smile on her face.

"Aw Phoebe...you're making me blush. Getting cheesy and stuff." Helga lightly jabbed her friend in the arm. "I didn't know my bow was such a huge hit to anybody besides...well...you know."

Phoebe looked at her knowingly. "Oh Yeah...I know."

"Whatever Pheebs!" The girls shared a laugh as Helga's face turn red again. "Maybe I should start wearing it again?"  
Phoebe stifled the last of her giggles. "Maybe. But wait...why did you stop wearing it in the first place?"

Before Helga could respond, the door to the girls bathroom opened again. Helga and Phoebe immediately got quiet and wondered who was in the bathroom with them.

They didn't have to wonder for too long.

"Phoebe?" Lizzie's bittersweet voice filled the silent bathroom. Phoebe could only hold back her gasp as Lizzie approached the stall Helga and Phoebe was in.

"We need to talk."

* * *

_Hi Everybody...It's been a while hasn't it? I'm really truly sorry for the wait! This chapter was very hard for me to write. I was worried about how you guys would take Phoebe's past and this new character. Hopefully, you guys didn't hate it too bad. Also, I been super swamped with school. But salvation has a appeared in the form of Christmas break! WOOT! Also...TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY! YAYYYY! So instead of making you guys give me a present I decided to give this chapter to you guys as a present! I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for being so awesome and patient. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully the next one won't take as long...hopefully._


	9. Chapter 9

Well, this wasn't how Arnold imagined his first day of school.

One minute he's talking to this girl and the next thing he knew, he was in the middle of a fight about to get his nose broken. How did it come to this, you may ask? Well, it all started in French class.

* * *

"Bonjour, class!" The elderly lady smiled as everybody settled into their seats. "Je m'appelle Madame Brown! I'm pleased to be your French teacher this year. Tell me now, have any of you ever taken french before?" Various voices were heard throughout the room either answering positively or negatively.

"Well, rather you're a new learner or know some french, you will all leave here learning something new each day! Now, before I start anything, I must take attendance."

Madame Brown went through the list of names while the class chattered amongst themselves. Phoebe took this opportunity to catch up with the boy next to her.

"How's your first day going, Arnold?"

"Well, it's been exciting to say the least." Arnold laughed gently before letting out a sigh. "I barley have a chance to catch my breath. It seems I'm constantly up and doing something."

"Just like old times huh?" Phoebe joked.

Arnold smiled warmly at her. "Yeah...just like old times. I didn't realize how much I missed this. Although, I can do without the whole making it to class by the skin of my teeth. I thought my lungs was going to explode."

Phoebe chuckled slightly. "That's why some of us leave when the bell rings Arnold."

"Hey, It's not my fault, okay! I really tried but that teacher was just…" Arnold shuddered at the thought of Mr. Peabody's voice. He was getting sleepy just thinking about it. His voice was nothing compared to Madame Brown's, which sounded like a sweet old lady baking cookies. It matched her elderly appearance perfectly.

"Oh my…" Arnold's ears perked up at the sound of that lovely voice. It really was distinctive and calming. "It seems somebody is missing." Madame Brown said out loud to herself.

"Is something wrong with Madame Brown?"

"I'm afraid so. It looks like our new student is lost." Madame Brown looked at her attendance sheet again. " She's the only not here."

Arnold thought to himself for a bit.

"Would you like me to go look for her?"

Arnold already had an image of the missing girl wandering the hallways, scared, lost, cold, and hungry... Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little, but he still had to help her!

"Oh, would you be so kind Arnold?"

"Of course, Madame Brown. I'll be back as soon as I find her." Arnold smiled before leaving the classroom.

Okay, so now what? He thought to himself. He forgot to ask Madame Brown what the girl looks like. He didn't know where to begin. Reluctantly, Arnold began his slow agonizing search, peering into classroom after classroom. He even checked the girl's bathroom, much to his embarrassment. Luckily, it was empty saving him from the screech of girls demanding to know why he was in here. Arnold sighed as he closed the door to the janitor's closet, and looked up at the clock.

Twenty minutes had passed.

Class was about to end in ten minutes and this girl was nowhere to be found. He searched everywhere! Where could this girl be! Everybody was either in class or on their free period. He looked around for the image of a girl frantically looking from her schedule to the passing doors in the hallway as she wandered around aimlessly, but at last, he didn't see anyone that fit that image. Arnold began to think logically then. This girl, obviously, isn't still looking for the class. She would have found it by now. That must mean...she's skipping class on purpose! Arnold felt anger then. If he finds out he missed his first day of french class to look for a skipper, he was going to be pissed. But, never one to give up, he still felt the desire to find this girl instead of turning back to class empty handed. Now, if he wanted to skip school where would he be? Where is the only place he didn't check? Of course! Arnold thought after a while and snapped his fingers. He immediately started heading for the front doors. Sure enough, as Arnold flung open the doors, there was a girl sitting on the stoop of the school. He instantly recognized her as the girl from his history class.

"I finally found you." Arnold looked down at the girl. Her expression was forlorn and any thoughts of accusing her of skipping class flew out his mind. Instead, he went into sympathetic, comforting Arnold mode and sat down next to the girl.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Arnold wrapped his arm around her hesitantly after seeing the girl's eyes glistened with tears. She flinched slightly and Arnold was just about to pull his arm back thinking he crossed too many boundaries but instead of moving away, she relaxed into his embrace and let out a sigh.

"Just feeling the emotions of regret and guilt all at once. That mixed in with fear and you got me, a girl too afraid to go to class because she knows her past will be in there waiting for her."

"I'm guessing you know somebody in French, that you're not on good terms with?"

The girl nodded her head. "I saw her heading into class, and I took off in the opposite direction, never looking back." She finally turned her green eyes to his.

"I'm guessing the teacher sent you to look for me."

"Uh...yeah…" Arnold hesitated before answering. No point in denying it and saying it was pure coincidence.

The girl nodded her head. "Thought so. I'm guessing you been looking for me non-stop without giving up with the image of me crying frantically trying to find the class in your head, right?"

Right on the money.

"How did you now that!?" Arnold exclaimed.

The girl smiled as his reaction. "You look like the type to help anyone no matter the cost. Never giving up on someone even when they're at their wits end. I can tell just by looking at you. You're really pure hearted. "

"Oh…" Arnold muttered, slightly embarrassed that his personality was so easily seen.

"Sorry…" The girl mumbled under her breath. "Didn't mean to break the image you have of me."

"Ah, no it's okay." Arnold said before silently looking at the street in front them as drivers drove by giving them questioning looks. "I don't know what happened but...I really think you should go back to class."

The girl looked up at him, her eyes shining in a indescribable way.

"I know it's scary, trying to face the person who you hurt the most. You don't know if they're going to forgive you and hate you even more but," Arnold cast his gaze down, looking deep into her eyes. "don't you think it's better to get this off your chest? To try, even if you fail? Or would you rather stay here forever?Letting the guilt eat away at you while the person you damaged continues to move forward never knowing how you feel?"

The girl looked down.

"I'm...scared."

"I know...but, I know you can do it."

The girl smirked. "How can you be so sure? I could actually be weak, you know. Maybe I don't even want to apologize. Maybe I like our relationship just the way it is." Silence passed between them after her words, and the girl swallowed in anticipation waiting for him to yell at her.

But he didn't.

Arnold merely smiled. "You don't. I can tell just by looking at you. You're really pure hearted."

The girl let out a dry laugh. "You're too trusting."

"Maybe. But I am a pretty good judge of character, and I haven't been wrong before. I guess you're just going to have to let me trust you and let me down."

"Even then, you still won't give up on me." The girl said matter-of-factly.

"Yep."

"Well, since you're putting all your trust into me, I think we should at least be on first name basis."

Arnold laughed gently. "Arnold." He held out his hand to her.

"Lizzie. It's a pleasure to meet you Arnold." She shook his hand hard. Just then the bell rung.

"Longest...ten minutes...ever." Arnold mumbled to himself.

Lizzie laughed when she heard him. "Yeah, I thought the bell was never gonna ring."

"Well, so much for facing your fears."

"Perhaps another day, Arnold, but now it's time to eat." Lizzie said getting up and heading towards the doors."Care to join me?"

"Sure. I would love too." Arnold smiled as they walked down the hallway together.

"Keep getting on my good side, and I might have to treat to a candy bar." Lizzie joked. "Think of it as payment for your services."

"That's really not necessary."

Lizzie shrugged. "But I want too. It's the only right thing to do." She thanked him politely when he held the door to the cafeteria open for her.

Arnold opened his mouth to protest but exclaimed instead as he slapped his own forehead in annoyance.

"Ah, crap!"Arnold groaned.

"What's up?" Lizzie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I left my bag in class." Arnold sighed. "I have to go get it."

Lizzie smirked at him. "Smooth, Arnold. Smooth."

"Well, it's not entirely my fault." Arnold teased her.

"You got a point. All right, let's go." Lizzie turned back to the cafeteria doors. She put her hand on the door, but Arnold quickly pushed it open and held it for her. She stared at him for a moment before narrowing her eyes.

"Okay, now I don't know if you're being pure hearted or just plain charming."

"Was it that obvious?" Arnold said with a grin.

"Very." Lizzie said with a laugh, walking right into somebody trying to go into the cafeteria.

She peered up at the figure to see two furious eyes and a scowl that could kill.

Lizzie immediately started apologizing,fearing her life would end if she didn't. It was then that she heard a sharp intake of breath. She looked and froze at the sight of her haunting past staring right back at her.

Phoebe.

"Lizzie?" Phoebe barely let out before tears streamed down her face. Before, Lizzie could get any words out, she was taking off down the hall. After a few seconds of shock, that girl with the killer scowl took off after her.

"What was that about?" Arnold wondered out loud.

"That was her." Lizzie said softly.

"What?"

"My past, that I can't escape."

"You mean…" Arnold began but Lizzie took off running.

"Sorry, Arnold but I have to find her!" She yelled back at him as she disappeared around a corner.

Arnold stood there in shock, at lost about what just happened and what to do.

"She doesn't even know where to go…" Arnold ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He wanted to help her, but he knew this was something she had to do herself. So, reluctantly, Arnold walked into the cafeteria alone. He was poking at his "Meatloaf" for the last 5 minutes, his mind in a daze. That was how Gerald found him.

"Hey, Arnold." Gerald said in greeting as he sat his tray down before sitting. He started nibbling on his sandwich when he looked up at his friend, who hadn't stop poking his meatloaf.

"Arnold?" Another poke.

"Arnold?" This time he let out a sigh.

"ARNOLD!?" Arnold flinched, his spork flying into the air landing into somebody's soup behind him, splashing the poor guy.

"What the heck!?" Vincent turned around to glare at the two boys.

"Sorry, man!" Gerald apologized on Arnold's behalf.

"Yeah, sorry, it was an accident." Arnold said sympathetically.

"Sorry, that's all you got to say!?" Vincent stood up in aggravation. "You ruined my shirt! Do you know how much this shirt cost?"

"Dude, Chill. He said sorry." Gerald said trying to calm the situation while Arnold looked baffled as the angry boy towered over him.

"Shut it, Johanssen." Vincent spat out, still glaring at Arnold with a look of pure hate.

"Shut it? Who the hec-"

"You ruined my shirt, Shortman. I'm going to need you to pay for that." Vincent sneered at him as Arnold's eyes widened in disbelief. That look in his eyes...was this guy seriously about to beat him up over a shirt?

"Look," Arnold cleared his throat uncomfortably and lowered his voice. The whole cafeteria was silent, watching the boys argue, and Arnold did not enjoy being in the middle of a very public argument. "I don't want any trouble. I-"

"Too bad, Shortman. You got trouble!" Vincent grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted Arnold right out of his chair.

Just then, at that moment with Vincent's fist pulled back ready for action, and Gerald in the middle of leaping over the table to stop him, Arnold got the answer to his question.

Yes. He was.

Arnold closed his eyes as he waited for the pain that was to come. When he felt nothing, he opened up one eye hesitantly, wondering what happened. His eyes opened fully at the sight of Brainy, grabbing Vincent by his wrist stopping him from pounding Arnold in the face.

"That's enough, Vincent." Brainy said coldly, his glare matching Vincent.

"Stay out of this, Brainy." Vincent spoke through clenched teeth.

"No. Somebody has to stop you" Brainy tightened his grip on Vincent's wrist. "I'm not about to let you hit somebody over something as petty as a shirt. This is stupid and you know it."

"I always do something stupid." Vincent said sarcastically.

"True, but this is where you usually draw the line. Come on,V. You don't really want to do this. Besides, you and I both know that ketchup stain was there way before Arnold's spork flew in the air."

Vincent blushed as the people around him snickered. "He made it worst!" Vincent clenched his fist.

"Okay, then. Let's talk about the fact that the lunch ladies saw you making a scene in the cafeteria and left to get Principal Wartman. I estimate he'll be here in 3 minutes or so. Remember what he said last time? What he would do to you if he caught you getting into another fight?"

Vincent paled visibly. He loosened his grip on Arnold's shirt, before sucking his teeth and letting it go fully.

"Whatever, Brainy." He snatched his hand out of his grip."This isn't over, Shortman." He shot Arnold one more glare before walking out of the cafeteria in a huff.

Brainy sighed as the cafeteria filled with voices once again.

"You okay, Arnold?" Brainy asked with concern sketched on his face.

"Yeah, just a little...confused."Arnold tried to fix his now wrinkled collar.

"Tell me about it." Gerald spoke, his eyebrows still turnt down in anger. "I mean seriously, what's with that guy? Getting all worked up over a shirt! I should have slugged him when he was walking out. He had some nerve putting his hand on you like that."

"I'm fine, Gerald. Thanks though." He patted his best friend on the back.

"Yeah, whatever, man." He crossed his arm and huffed. "It was no problem, but Arnold, was you actually going to let that guy hit you?"

Arnold hesitated before answering. "I don't know. I was shocked. It happened so fast, I didn't have time to react. I just closed my eyes instinctively." Arnold answered honestly. He knew it seem weak, but he really did hate fighting. That being said, he was by no means a push over. If there was one thing that his old man drilled into him, it was that golden rule. If somebody hits you, hit them back. A variation of Grandma's "Be like a frog in the pond" phrase that she taught him when he was in fourth grade. Of course, there was some limitation to that rule. But, if Vincent truly did punch him, Arnold wouldn't have hesitated to wipe the floor with his face. He still remembers his training that Grandma taught him. Mix that with some fighting lessons from his old man and he was a force to be reckoned with. Luckily, Brainy came in the nick of time, sparing Vincent of a Arnold he never wants to meet.

"Thanks Brainy for stopping it when you did." Arnold turned to the boy with gratitude. "Most people would have watched, but you stepped in, I thank you for that."

" It was nothing, Arnold." Brainy waved him off. "We go way back. I couldn't stand there and let you get into a fight over something petty."

"Hey, Brainy, are you friends with that guy?" Gerald gave him a questioningly look. "You guys seem pretty close."

"Oh, um yeah." Brainy scratched his head awkwardly. "You could call us that. We used to be on the same wrestling team back in middle school. We kinda grew apart, but we say hi to each other now and then."

"Wrestling team!?" Arnold and Gerald both exclaimed before looking Brainy over. He really has changed.

"Yeah," Brainy said sheepishly. "Had to gain muscle some how. I really enjoyed it actually. Too bad Hillwood High doesn't have a team here. I was thinking about joining the football team actually.

"Football huh…" Gerald tilted his head in thought.

A excited smile spread across Brainy's face. "you're thinking about trying out?"

"Nah, Basketball more my forte." Gerald shrugged. "Maybe, you should join Arnold? Get some meat on your bones."

"I don't know…" Arnold scrunched his nose up in thought. He really couldn't picture himself as a football player. He would join a club or activity sooner or later but right now, Football wasn't on the top of his list.

"You know, Harold is the quarterback of the team. You should ask him for more details." Brainy offered, while Arnold's eyes widen at hearing Harold's name and quarterback in the same sentence. "You know, in case you change your mind. "

"Right...I'll...think about it. Thanks Brainy."

"No problem." Brainy smiled as the bell rung. "Well, there's the bell."

Arnold groaned. "I barely ate anything."

"Like you was actually going to eat that mystery meat anyway." Gerald grabbed his bag and started walking.

"Meatloaf." Arnold said flatly. "It was supposed to be meatloaf."

"Seriously?" Brainy laughed. "Now that's funny! To think they actually try to pass that substance off as food."

"You know, this reminds me of a story Fuzzy Slippers told me." Gerald began.

"Oh, boy. Here we go again. Another story time with Gerald." Arnold groaned and slumped his shoulder in a exaggerated way.

"Hey, shut up!" Gerald punched his shoulder softly. "You know i'm good at them!"

"That you are." Arnold chuckled. "All right, let's hear it."

The boys laughed and joked all the way to their next class. With another ring of the bell, Arnold's exciting first day was now halfway over.


	10. Chapter 10

Anticipation was a feeling Lizzie knew all too well. That and nervousness, disappointment and depression. As she stood in front of that stall, all those feelings hit her at once. It swirled inside her gut fighting to get out. Every fiber in her body was screaming different things, but they all said one thing in common.

Run.

Oh how she wanted to. But she was glued to that spot. Her labored breathing growing harder and more unsteady. She became increasingly aware of the silence buzzing in her ears. Nothing acknowledge her presence. Nothing acknowledged that she actually spoke. She questioned if she actually did speak. Perhaps she imagined it. She opened her mouth again, but the words were caught in the dryness of her throat. _Game over_, she supposed. _It's better to leave now than face embarrassment_. But then, it happened. A small timid voice from inside the stall. It was muffled, but it was strong, and Lizzie heard it.

"Okay."

Lizzie sighed in relief. She ignored the hesitant voice whispering doubts to Phoebe. She could make out a "What are you doing?" and a "Are you sure?"

She had an idea of who was saying, but she didn't care. Phoebe agreed to talk to her. _That's all that matters at the moment._

A smile graced her lips as Phoebe stepped out of the stall, followed by a girl with blonde hair.

Her face was grim but Lizzie refused to let that bother her. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear in nervousness.

"Hi…"

"Hey…"

Silence.

Thick, awkward, and suffocating silence followed those apprehensive words of exchange.

The sounds between them was minimal. A uncomfortable scratch on the arm here. A dry cough there, and finally, somebody clearing their throat.

"So…" Helga began. "Are you guys gonna start talking soon, or are we just going to keep standing here in silence?"

"Sorry." The two girls mumbled before exchanging glances of surprise.

"Hey don't apologize to me." Helga shrugged her shoulders. "If you guys want to discuss serious matters in a place where people poop and piss then by all means go ahead, but I strongly urged against. It doesn't help that this is the hot spot for gossip and drama. So, unless you guys want to be the talk of the school tomorrow, thanks to some wandering ears, I suggest you move this conversation elsewhere before it begins."

"Hm...Well, isn't that funny." Phoebe crossed her arms and glared at Helga "That wasn't an issue of concern a few minutes ago, Helga." Phoebe raised her eyebrow. "I would have liked to know that before I cried my eyes out and told you about my family secret."

"...Oh my god…" Helga eyes widen in realization. "You're totally right!"

Phoebe dropped her arms in defeat as Helga begged for forgiveness.

"Its fine, Helga. I was just kidding. We would have heard somebody come in like we did with Lizzie, and the walls aren't that dense. I'm sure nobody heard."

"Oh...well...jeez, Pheebs why you scared me like that!?" Helga plucked her on the arm playfully. "I bet you like seeing me get all riled up."

Phoebe giggled. "Only on certain days, but I do agree with you." Phoebe said before turning to Lizzie. "We should talk about this another time."

"Okay...but I was going to make this brief and I rather do it now before I lose my nerve…"

Phoebe pondered for a minute before nodding her head.

"Okay...Go ahead."

Lizzie shifted her gaze to Helga who was perched on the sink, watching the exchange. This caused Phoebe to move her gaze to her as well. Helga looked from Phoebe to Lizzie, than back to Phoebe.

"Oh...am I in the way of something?" Helga cocked her eyebrow. "Or is this a private conversation between sisters only?"

"Sorry…" Lizzie said. "I just really want this to be between the two of us."

"Helga, is that okay with you?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh yeah, no problemo. I'll let y'all have your little moment of bonding." Helga slid off the sink and walked to Lizzie. "But let me warn you right now Lizzie. If hear any fists flying or see a scratch on Pheebs head, well, let's just say I'm gonna have to introduce you to Ol' Betsy and the five avengers." Helga cracked her knuckles while Lizzie gulped. Phoebe merely rolled her eyes at her friend's threats.

"Toodaloo ladies." Helga smiled brightly and waved before leaving the bathroom.

She stood outside the doors for a moment before frantically squatting down and pressing her ear against the door, straining to hear the deep conversation that was taking place.

"Dang it!" She snapped her fingers before standing up in defeat. "If only I had a glass! Who knows what they could be talking about! Ughhhhh! I really want to know!" She stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "Oh well…" Helga uncrossed her arms. "It's not like Phoebe won't tell me anyway." Helga sighed and looked at the clock in the hallway. Noticing that the bell was going to ring soon, Helga decided to get a head start to her next class. She just hoped Phoebe won't be too late for it.

With a weary heart, Helga walked to class. As she approached the door, something told her to peer inside the classroom before walking in. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Arnold sitting there in all of his deliciousness. She sighed lovingly and whispered a prayer to the gods for having him born. Now she can stare at him for a whole class period without any annoyances! She peered into the room once more to get one last look at her beloved. Unfortunately, something was blocking her view. It looked a lot like an afro…

"Oh No…" Helga groaned. "Not hair boy! Ugh, I can't have one class period with Arnold all to myself?" She screeched out angrily while she kicked at the air. She crossed her arms and huffed. "Life could be so unfair sometimes." She grumbled to herself through her pouted lips. She put her tantrum on temporarily halt as she tried to think positive. _Better Hair Boy than Lila._ Helga sighed deeply at that thought and faced the door again. It was mostly full, but she could spot a seat with her name on it right next to Arnold.

_Alright Girl, this is it._ Helga prepped herself. _My grand entrance. Got to make it good and casual. Don't screw up!_ Helga took a deep breath and opened the door to the classroom. Arnold and Gerald's conversation stopped immediately as they turned to see who it was.

Gerald's jaw dropped while Arnold smiled at her warmly. "Hey, Helga."

Helga smiled back. "Hey Fo- I mean Arnold, long time no see!" She sarcastically coughed out in correction.

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "It's only been a few minutes actually."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Jeez thanks for the exact estimate, Arnold. I was being sarcastic you know." Helga shook her head as she casually slid into the chair next to him. "You're gonna have a hard time in this class if you can't identify it."

Arnold laughed gently. "Don't worry about me, Helga. I think can handle this class just fine."

"If you say so, but I guess you're right. The one I should really be concern for is hair boy. "Helga turned to Gerald, who was still sitting in utter shock. "Cat got your tongue, hair boy, or do you totally lack the decency to say hi to an old classmate?"

"I...Um…" Gerald stuttered in confusion. "I'm sorry but...a-are you really Pataki?"

Arnold face palmed while Helga slumped in her chair. "Is that why you're so quiet? You're that shock to see me?"

"Well, you can't really blame me!" Gerald yelled in defense. "We only had one class together and you were always late to it. I haven't seen the new and improved Pataki so excuse me for being surprised!"

Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. "You would have seen it sooner if you actually stayed awake during that class. You were always out like a light whenever I saw you, and you sat in the front too!" Helga looked away in disappointment. "No decency…"

"Whatever Pataki!" Gerald was about to protest again when he stopped and looked at her more closely. "Wait a minute." He cupped his chin in thought. "Blond hair...pink headband…" He mumbled to himself as he took in her appearance. It was then that he shot a glance at Arnold before looking back at Helga. His eyes widen in realization and lowered with a mischievous glint. He turned his gaze to Arnold as a cheesy grin spread across his face."Ohhhhhhhhhh, I get itttt." He wiggled his eyebrows at Arnold who pretended not to see. Helga looked at the two boys baffled.

"What is it?"

Gerald simply laughed. "Oh, it's nothing important Pataki. Just looking forward to the interesting conversation I'm going to have with Arnold today." Now Helga was looking back and forth between Gerald, who was laughing uncontrollably and Arnold, who was staring at the wall as if it had all of life's answers written on it.

Helga narrowed her eyes. She knew he could feel her staring.

"Arnold…" She began while Arnold trembled ever so slightly at the dangerous undertone in her voice. The door interrupted Helga's assault, as Phoebe walked into the room in a huff. Her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily. She paused momentarily to catch her breath before meeting eyes with Helga. She hesitated for a second before offering a small smile.

Helga sighed in relief. She knew what that smile meant. Something big just happened but, for now, she was okay. Phoebe slid into the seat behind Helga unaware of the person sitting next to her who was now noticeably quiet. Helga looked at Gerald questionably while Phoebe took out her notebook. Before she could ask, the bell rung and the door opened again. Feminine gasps were heard around the room. All the girls whispered and giggled among themselves while the boys was left to question what was going on. Arnold looked around to see all the girls staring at their teacher with similar faces. He looked over at Phoebe and Helga who was also staring in amazement.

Well...perhaps amazement wasn't the right word.

Want?

Admiration?

Infatuation?

They both had cheesy grins and was staring dreamily at the man before them. The teacher, who was writing his name on the board, clapped his hand together to rid himself of the excess chalk before finally facing the class.

"Hello, class." The man with the pearly white grin and luscious blond hair smiled innocently, unaware that with those two words, he had just captured the hearts of every girl in the room. "My name is Mr. Felter. I will be your AP English teacher this year."

Arnold eyes widen in shock. Felter? "Um...Excuse me, Mr. Felter?" Arnold raised his hand.

"Yes?" Mr. Felter flashed his charming smile to Arnold's direction, causing the girls behind him to swoon. "What is your name, son?"

"Oh um, my name is Arnold."

"Arnold…" Mr. Felter laughed dryly. "My brother in law name is Arnold." He said absentmindedly before addressing Arnold once again. "What's your question, Arnold?"

"Um, that's actually what I was going to ask. You wouldn't happen to be related to Miss Felter."

"Ah, my sister? Yes, well, I'm afraid she doesn't go by that anymore." Mr. Felter eyes darkened. "She prefers Mrs. Skelter now...Heavens know why…" He mumbled underneath his breath as his jaw tighten in anger.

"Um...Mr. Felter?" Arnold asked timidly. "Are you ok?"

"Oh yes, sorry about that." Mr. Felter laughed innocently. "Some thoughts crossed my mind at that moment. I'm guessing my sister taught you in the past?"

"Yes, she was my substitute in the fourth grade."

"Hm...Such a shame. She truly did love teaching…" Mr. Felter sighed as his eyes darkened again, but he quickly shook it off with a clap of his hands. "Well, there's no time for that now. No, it's time to focus on all you scholars." Mr. Felter look across the room. "I see greatness in every single one of you and I am so excited to be teaching this class. I just know with the right push, you guys will take your writing to new heights!" Mr. Felter raised his fist enthusiastically."

"Now I know this may seem a bit cliché, but I really want to get to know each and every one of you on a personal level. I want to help you grow and what better way to do that than with writing! So, everybody take out a sheet of paper. "Mr. Felter paused momentarily as everybody dug through their bags. "Now, here's what I want you to do. Are you ready for this?" Mr. Felter paused dramatically. I want you...to write!"

The class went silent.

Gerald raised his hand. "Um...write about what, sir?"

"What a great question! What do you write about you ask? Anything! You could talk about your summer, your hobbies, anything you want! I just want you to write! Write till your heart is content! You may leave when you're done!" Mr. Felter laughed heartily.

"Seriously?" A boy asked skeptically while the rest of the class cheered in excitement.

"Seriously, but I must warn you beforehand." Mr. Felter's face instantly got serious. "Don't think you can give me a few sentences or lazy work. I'm not putting any maximum or minimum in terms of length, but I do expect some effect." Mr. Felter stared at the class before breaking out into a wide smile and clapping his hands again. "So with that being said, you may begin!"

Arnold sighed and leaned back in his chair._ Just write, huh? But what to write about.._.? Arnold cast his gaze sideways. A soft smile graced his face._ I know just the thing_, he thought as he picked up his pen and wrote ferociously.

* * *

The bell cut through the silence of the classroom. Helga stretched in satisfaction. She hadn't wrote like that in a long time. She ripped out the sheets from her notebook.

Five pages.

Helga couldn't help but laugh at herself. She honestly couldn't help it. Once she started pouring out her heart, it was almost impossible to stop. She just hoped wouldn't be intimated by the number of pages. She looked around the room to see everybody else progress. Of course, some people left within the first few minutes of class to which Mr. Felter gave those said students a menacing death glare as they walked out the room, but a surprising amount of people stayed the full period. Phoebe was just finishing up and Arnold finished 5 minutes ago. Of course, being the great friend that he was, he decided to wait for Gerald. Now, it looked like Hair Boy was finally finished as he too joined Arnold, who was in the middle of a pleasant conversation with Mr. Felter. Helga twisted her body to face Phoebe. "Almost done, Pheebs?"

"Just one more tiny thing and...Done!" Phoebe smiled down at her paper, satisfied.

"How many times did you reread it?"

"Oh, only three times."

Helga crossed her arms. "How many alterations did you make?"

"...I plead the fifth." Phoebe whistled as she rose from her desk.

Helga giggled and shook her head. "Honestly, Pheebs. I can't deal with you. How did you manage to make all those corrections and still come out with a clean paper?"

Phoebe chuckled as she present the object in her pocket with a wide smile. "White out, it's a blessing!"

"You should be the spokesperson, as much as you use that stuff." Helga joked as she handed Mr. Felter her paper.

"Finally finish girls?" Mr. Felter accepted their papers with a charming smile.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm most looking forward to reading your novel, Helga." Mr. Felter raised an eyebrow as he counted the pages.

"Ah yeah, sorry about that." Helga rubbed her neck sheepishly. "But I think you will enjoy it, Mr. Felter."

"I have no doubts in my mind." Mr. Felter smiled as he put the paper neatly in his folder. "Well, I'll see you kids tomorrow." Mr. Felter waved as the group walked out the room.

"Bye, Mr. Felter." Arnold waved goodbye as he closed the door.

"What an interesting man." Phoebe sighed in thought.

"Charming is more of the word I would use." Helga added.

"Oh yes, charming indeed." The girls giggled amongst themselves completely unaware of the two boys behind them. Realizing that they wasn't going to acknowledge them, Gerald cleared his throat. The girls immediately stopped laughing. Helga turned and gave Gerald the side eye. Phoebe avoided eye contact completely, and clutch her bag harder.

"What's your problem, hair boy?"

Gerald glanced at Helga for second before shifting his gaze back to Phoebe.

"Phoebe…" Gerald's expression was stiff and straight, but his voice showed his true feelings, and it was a mixture of emotions. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Phoebe's tried her best to mirror his casual appearance, but even a blind man could notice the trembling of her bottom lip and the tightening of her jaw as she forced the blubbering emotions back down.

Phoebe took a deep breath and straighten up before facing Gerald. With the coldest voice she could muster, she whispered. "There's nothing to talk about Gerald." She turned on her heel and quickly muttered a goodbye to Helga before walking away. Helga and Arnold stood there in shock while Gerald let out a gusty sigh.

"Of course…" He mumbled to himself as he trudged to his next class, ignoring the two confused individuals.

"Um...What just happened?" Arnold asked dumbly.

"No clue..." Helga never did get a chance to inquire on the status of Phoebe and Gerald's relationship. She briefly remembered her mentioning it and giving some weak reason, but Helga was so preoccupied with her own drama she forgot to get more details. She assumed it was no big deal and they was still on good terms, but they clearly was not.

"But...I'm going to find out." Helga flashed a smile at Arnold. "Seems like Hair Boy forgot that we have last period together. I'll find out as much as I can."

Arnold smiled back. "Sounds like a plan."

"See you later, Arnold." Helga waved as she turned away from him.

"I got some major work to do." Helga groaned.

_My job is never done..._

* * *

_Hello, all! I apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. These past few months have been really stressful. _ But, I'm back and school is almost over! Yay for summer break and hopefully more chapters! Sadly, my computer is acting stupid so I can't make any promises, but I will try to make up for the long wait with awesome chapters. I'm really sorry! Thank you all for your patience and I hope you will continue to read my story! Untill next time guys, byez!~_


	11. Chapter 11

"Well...this is an interesting gym class."

Helga thought as she watched the scene before her. The first ten minutes of class were a blur. She briefly remembered having the gym teacher, introduce himself to the class, before blowing his whistle and ordering the kids to play a fast pace brutal game of dodge-ball in order to test their endurance. Helga sighed as another fast ball flew past her head. She looked around her to see her fellow classmates all lying on the ground,feigning death, and moaning in agony. The old her would have found this quite enjoyable and amusing, however she was preoccupied by her opponent across the gym. Helga narrowed her eyes at her target, catching the ball that was flung at her and disqualifying the thrower. She smirked as Hair Boy stared at the ground forlorn, obliviously unaware of the killing intent radiating across the room.

Helga took a step back and round up her arm. When she was sure she had enough momentum, she let the ball go and watched as it soared straight for Gerald. It seemed like it happened in slow motion. She watched as Gerald looked up to see the ball coming towards him. He shifted back in a attempt to move away, but it was too late. The ball sank deep into his stomach before ricocheting off his stomach into the back of the head of a fellow player.

Double KO!

Gerald groaned in pain before joining the ball on the floor. He laid there as unconsciousness consumed him. The sound of whistle shook him out of his short slumber.

"Alright, class! Great game! Hit the showers all of you!" Mr. Brute screamed before walking to Gerald and peering down at him, in casing Gerald in a shadow.

"Johanssen." Mr. Brute addressed him.

"Yes, Mr. Brute?" Gerald lifted his head from the ground.

"That was truly pathetic." He said flatly. "I expected more from Jamie O's little brother." He shook his head as Helga walked by them. "As for you Pataki, I expect nothing less from the Pataki family of winners. Keep up the good work!" He flashed her the thumbs up sign. Helga stood there flabbergasted. She wasn't use to getting compliments from teachers. "Jeez, um...Thanks ." Helga scratched her head in embarrassment.

"No problem young lady." He smiled before turning back to Gerald."Johanssen, how long do you plan on lying on the ground! Get your butt up and head for the locker rooms pronto!" Gerald waited till walked away before letting his head hit the ground again. Another shadow covered him as Helga looked down at him.

"Hey, Hair Boy."

Gerald sighed. "What do you want, Helga?"

"Oh nothing much," Helga shrugged. "Just wondering why you let yourself get pummeled by a gal like me."

"My head wasn't in the game."

"Thanks for the stating the obvious, Captain Obvious."

Gerald rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Seriously though, Gerald, what's up with you?" Helga crouched down next to him. "You been like this since Phoebe snubbed you. What happened between you guys?"

"What do you care for?" Gerald snorted.

Helga eyes narrowed at his snorting. "She's my friend, jerk, and I want to know why my best friend is so upset with you."

Helga took a deep breath as her voice got softer. "I mean...you guys were crazy about each other in elementary school. I really thought you guys were gonna last. But then, during the summer of 8th grade, you guys stopped talking to each other completely. I was gonna confront you sooner, but Phoebe insisted that I let it go. She didn't seem that bothered by it and you certainly wasn't trying to talk to her either, so I assumed it was a mutual agreement, and you guys would remain friends. But...I guess I was wrong. So are you going to tell me what happened between you two, or am I gonna have to pound it out of ya?" Helga cracked her knuckles. "

Gerald pouted and turned his head, mumbling something into his shoulders.

"Come again, Hair Boy?"

He mumbled again.

"Gerald, I swear if you don't speak up in ten seconds-" Helga clenched her fist.

"I CHEATED ON HER OKAY!?"

Gerald blurted out before racing out the gym and into the boys locker. Her mind began processing what she just heard.

Gerald.

Cheated.

On Phoebe.

Gerald, the one Phoebe was crazy about since the fourth grade

Cheated, did something highly inappropriate with a girl that he was not in a relationship with

on Phoebe, her best friend who loved Gerald with all her heart.

Then came the rage.

"WHY I OUTTA CHOP HIM INTO MINCE MEAT AND FEED HIM TO THE GUPPIES!"

Helga raced to the locker room door and began banging on it after discovering it was locked.

"COME OUT HERE GERALD AND TAKE YOUR BEATING!" She growled when he did the logical thing and didn't open the door. YOU'RE DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME, JOHANSSEN? DEAD!" She gave the door one last kick before storming off.

She had to find Phoebe.

* * *

Helga sighed as she slammed her locker door shut in aggravation. After class, she tried to look for Phoebe. She looked everywhere and couldn't find her, leaving her with the conclusion that Phoebe already went home. Hmph...so be it. She still won't get away. She would corner her in her room if she had too. Not to mention, they promised they would meet up with Rhonda to discuss the events of today.

Speaking of the reigning queen of fashion, where the heck was she? She would usually be perched up against the lockers next to Helga with a scowl on her face and immediately start nagging her about how long she's been waiting. Helga looked around the hallway, but saw no sign of . Criminey! Did everybody bail on her today? Guess she will have to talk to them later. No way could she start a conversation with Phoebe without Rhonda. Especially one that had this much juicy drama.

She'll kill her!

Helga grumbled to herself as she went out the school entrance and started to walk down the steps. She paused when she heard a familiar scream.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAK!"

Helga stood on the steps and watched the amusing game of tag that Rhonda was in the middle of.

She watched as Rhonda veered between pedestrians as she ran down the street, all while being chased by the bane of her existence.

"OH COME ON, RHONDA MY DARLING! DON'T BE LIKE THIS!" Curly cried after her, right on her heels. "JUST ONE KISS BABY! I PROMISE YOU'LL BE BEGGING FOR MORE!"

"I RATHER WEAR THRIFT CLOTHES FOR A MONTH!" Rhonda shrieked as she dodge Curly's wandering hand. She twirled around and ran back the way she came, towards the school.

"It doesn't matter what you wear as long as I get to remove them, Rhonda Baby." Curly's wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as Rhonda screamed in disgust.

"YOU'RE ARE TOTALLY DISGUSTING!" It was then she noticed Helga who was still watching the spectacle with a gaping mouth. "Helga! Please save me!" Rhonda ran up the stairs and hide behind her back as Curly came running up as well. He stopped in front of Helga who took a step forward and put her hands on her hips.

She meant business.

"Alright, Curly's that's enough. You can chase after the princess another day. But right now, we got business to take care of." Helga glanced at Rhonda and winked before turning back to Curly with her signature glare.

It's such a shame really, Helga thought as she eyed the boy who was looking at Rhonda like was she a piece of Mr. Green's delectable prime ribs. God, she could even see him salivating. It truly was a shame, especially since in the looks department, Curly's was totally Rhonda's type. He changed a lot since the fourth grade. He replaced his glasses with a pair of red stylish rims, that complimented his big eyes, instead of hiding them. He was still skinny, but Helga could see it was a healthy kind of skinny and he wasn't just skin and bones. He could definitely hold his own in a fight if it ever came down to it. His face was charming in a weird way and his black hair was longer and slicked back gracefully. With a dashing tux and few squirts of cologne he could even fool Rhonda's parents into believing he was a young man of high prestige. Too bad his personality hadn't changed much. Once he opens his mouth, the Curly everybody knows and loves would reveal himself with a vengeance.

"Tch...Fine, Helga, you win today." Curly turned his back towards her and slumped his shoulders in mock glum before turning around suddenly and pointing his finger dramatically in her face. "But I will be back tomorrow! For my love is like a burning inferno! It can never be put out! Only halted! Until then, Rhonda,my love!" He blew her a sloppy kiss before running down the street laughing madly.

"Ugh...I'm so embarrassed to be the object of that thing's affection." Rhonda shuddered as she came from behind Helga's back. "Thanks a lot, Helga. I really appreciate it." Rhonda smiled warmly.

Helga waved her off. "Oh, Please. What are friends for?"

Rhonda chuckled. "Protection against mentally unstable stalkers?"

Helga shrugged as they started walking down the street together. "It comes with the contract. Luckily for you, I don't have any. I would love to see how you would stop them. Perhaps you'll throw a wad of cash at them and tremble in a corner before escaping?"

Rhonda shrugged back. "Hey, it worked before. Most of my stalkers are obsessed with my money. Unfortunately Curly's is more difficult than that." Rhonda sighed deeply. "I once threw my gold plated watch at him, hoping he take it as bait. All he did was sniff it before putting it in his pocket and demanding my bra in exchange. Disgusting freak!"

Helga hollowed with laughter. "Seriously? Oh my gosh, that's hilarious. I can just imagine him sighing lovingly and inhaling your scent deeply before stalking after you like a hungry lion." Helga wiped her tears and sighed. "Too bad. If only he was normal. He might actually have a shot with you."

"Yeah, well, whatever. That's never gonna happen." Helga arched her eyebrow at the slight disappointment etched on Rhonda's face. She would have thought she would deny that accusation completely. But it seemed like she was actually sad. Hm...did she mean that her going out with Curly was never gonna happen or...Wait a minute, Pataki! What on earth was she thinking? Rhonda? Actually having feelings for Curly other than complete and utter disgust? Yeah, right when pigs fly! The odds of her and Curly getting together were the same as her and Arnold getting together. The chances of either of those relationship happening was a big fat zero! Like she said before...when pigs fly.

"Hey, Helga?" Rhonda voice brought Helga back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Phoebe? Weren't we suppose to have an emergency meeting at her house today?"

"Oh, trust me we still are. Phoebe just went on ahead of us it seems, but don't worry," Helga and Rhonda stopped in front of Phoebe's door. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this right now." Hegla smiled confidently before ringing the doorbell. One way or another, she was gonna get all her answer today.

* * *

"Well, Well, Well, if it isn't Charlie Johnson back from the great war!" Gertie smiled at Gerald, who looked around awkwardly, before realizing Gertie was talking about him.

"Um, hello." He still didn't quite know how to talk to Grandma Gertie when she acted like this. Grant it, she always seemed to have a "vivid imagination" when it came to people and holidays, however it seemed like her memory has gotten even worse as years went by. In Gerald's mind, the evidence was like flashing red lights and sirens. The problem was convincing everyone else of the warning signs. Maybe they got used to it over the years. Even he did at a certain time, but now he was beginning to worry that Gertie's scenarios and stories had less to do with her wisdom and fun, and more with her age and health.

"I'm so flattered to have you visit me, Charlie." Gertie interrupted Gerald from his thoughts as she leaned against the door post. A nostalgic look spread across her face as she smiled warmly. "It's been awhile since our last rendezvous, hasn't it? With you being naval officer now. My, My, where did the time go?"

"Um...Y-yeah…" Gerald glanced behind the older woman for any sign of a certain football head with blond hair. He sighed gratefully when he caught sight of Arnold rounding the corner.

"Grandma?" Arnold cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you talking too?"

"Oh, it's just my old buddy Charlie." Arnold sighed as he approached Gertie's "Charlie". "He came to visit me." Gertie smiled happily before bringing Arnold closer to her and pushing him forward proudly. "This handsome man is my grandson, Arnold."

"Oh, um, hello?" Gerald mumbled with a half-hearted wave.

Arnold shook his head sadly before working his way out of Gertie's grip. "Grandma, why don't you invite your friend in?"

"Good idea, Arnold!" Gertie ushered Gerald in. Come on in, Charlie, I'll introduce you to my husband, Phil."

"Oh, that sounds...nice."

"I'll go get him. Arnold, be a good boy, and make our guest comfortable, okay?"

"Yes, Grandma." Arnold reassured her and watched Gertie leave before turning back to Gerald.

"Sorry, about that."

"Hey, no problem man." Gerald smiled gently. "Is everything okay? I mean, I know she's been like this since we were kids, but I thought she at least recognize me as Gerald by now."

Arnold frowned before sighing heavily. "She's fine, Gerald…"

"You sure, dude? Because my grandpa started acting like that a year ago and well-"

"Gerald, please," Arnold ran a hand through his messy hair as he gave Gerald a pleading look. "Can we drop this topic and move on to something a little less serious?"

Gerald hesitated before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah...I guess you're right. We've had enough drama for one day."

Arnold smiled gratefully for a moment before replacing that grateful smile with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah, and speaking of drama. What's going on between you and Phoebe?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Gerald pointed an accusing finger at Arnold. "You owe me an exciting tale first! Or, did you think I wouldn't notice how much Helga's appearance matched your description of that gorgeous blond girl you saw the other day."

Arnold sucked his teeth in defeat. "Fine...I'll start at the beginning, but after that, you're telling me what happened between you and Phoebe!"

Gerald sighed and rolled his eyes."One way or another, you're gonna get all your answer today huh?"

Arnold merely smirked.

"You know it."

* * *

_Hello, it's been awhile hasn't it? I apologize so much for the long wait! I have been going through a lot these past months. Anyway, I want to make it up to you guys by posting at least 3 chapters, and maybe even a bonus chapter for keeping you waiting for so long. If my internet holds up, you should see them by tonight or tomorrow. Please, forgive me! I hope you guys enjoy these chapters and will continue to read this story till the very end. I didn't realize it before, but this is going to be a longggggggg story. It didn't hit me till just now when I realized I wrote 11 chapters for just two days. Yeah..right now my outline for this story last for the whole school year. Since it took me it me a 11 chapters (and even more since the first day of school **still** isn't over yet) to get this far, I can only imagine how long it will take for me to get to the middle of the school year! But, I can't help it, you know? I don't like rushing into things or ending chapters on a weird note. I'm definitely going to try to speed things up a bit, but i want the story to make sense, and build up to all the awesome turning points that I have set up. I already started putting the subliminal and not so subliminal details in these chapters, and I have so much more in store for you guys. There will be comedy, romance, and **tons** of drama. Drama, i want to build up to and make sense. While this story will be long, I think you guys will enjoy the ride. So, I hope you guys will stick with me. I'm gonna try my best to complete this story as quickly as possible without rushing into key points. Anyway, thanks for all the support and reviews! I will see you guys in the next chapter! Byez~_


	12. Chapter 12

"Helga, Rhonda. My, My, what a pleasant surprise!" Ms. Heyerdahl answered the door, her accent thick. "Phoebe didn't mention you gals were coming today."

Helga smiled awkwardly at the woman before her. After what Phoebe told her, it was no wonder Helga couldn't look her directly in the eyes. She definitely saw her in a new light, but who could blame her? Even Rhonda wouldn't be able to hide her feelings after hearing about the Heyerdahl's scandalous history. Luckily for Helga, the drama queen didn't suspect a thing. Helga quickly swallowed her mixed feelings and greeted Ms. Heyerdahl with the best smile she could muster.

"Well, you know me. I'm full of surprises."

Ms. Heyerdahl chuckled. "That you are. Well, come on in. I'll let Phoebe know you're here an-"

"Ah, No. That's quite alright, Ma'am!" Helga quickly said before clearing her throat. "Um...I don't want you to go through the trouble. Besides, I'm sure you were in the middle of...something, yes?"

"Well...I was just about to start making dinner. I already started on the dessert! Apple pie with cinnamon. I just couldn't help myself. I haven't had pie in ages. You get tired of green tea mochi ice cream after a while." Ms. Heyerdahl sighed in thought.

"I bet…Well, you should get back to it than!"

"Alright...You gals have fun now."

"Thanks again, ma'am!"

Helga and Rhonda waved her off before making their way to Phoebe's room.

Helga cleared her throat and coughed before putting on her best southern accent. "Knock Knock?"

Behind the door she could hear Phoebe groan in annoyance.

"Mother, I told you, I'm not in the mood."

"I know what you said sweetie, but I made you some tea. I think it will calm your nerves. Now, why don't you open this door and I promise I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day."

"Hmmm...well, tea does sound...promising right about now." Helga smirked when she heard the sound of shuffling feet approaching the door.

"But after this, you have to keep your promise and leave me alone, okay?" Phoebe opened the door.

"Sorry, Pheebs, but there's no hot tea waiting for you this time."

"Helga! Rhonda!" Phoebe eyes widen. She glared at the two girls who was smiling before her. "...You tricked me...You know I can't say no to herbal tea."

"Sorry, Pheebs, but I knew that was the only way you were going to open the door."

Phoebe sighed before plopping back on her bed. The girls made themselves comfortable and let themselves in. Helga made herself at home when she kicked off her shoes and sat next to Phoebe. Rhonda grabbed the chair from her desk and previewed a few articles of clothing from Phoebe's closet before sitting down as well.

"So, Pheebs…You know why we are here."

"Well, Helga does, but I have no idea what's going on." Rhonda interrupted. "I thought we were going to talk about the events of today."

"We will, starting with what happened between Phoebe and Hair Boy today."

Rhonda raised an eyebrow and inched closer to the bed, her excitement growing after hearing this new topic. "What's this? Drama between Phoebe and Gerald that I haven't heard yet? Do tell."

"There's nothing to tell." Phoebe said flatly.

"Oh, so you call Gerald cheating on you nothing to tell?"

Phoebe nearly broke her neck when she swung her head to look at Helga's smug expression. Helga's expression was unchanging as Rhonda squealed girlishly.

"OMG! No way! Seriously!? Gerald cheated on you!? With who!? What happened!? When did it happen!? Where did it happen!? And why did he do it!?"

"Ah...the notorious 5 W's combo." Helga chuckled to herself. "So, Pheebs, which W do you want to answer first?"

Phoebe sighed, "Haven't we had enough confession time with Phoebe for one day? How many secrets of the past will I have to reveal before you two girls are satisfied?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Rhonda stomped her foot before pointing an accusing finger at the two girls. "I haven't heard any confessions all day! Not from you or Helga! Now, one of you guys better start talking or else!"

"Fine, I'll start first! Then, it's Phoebe's turn. She'll tell you all about her family and boyfriend drama, in the appropriate order."

"Family and boyfriend drama!? Jesus, where's my popcorn when I need it! Can we wait while I order pizza?"

"Well, you better make it quick princess because I'm starting now."

* * *

"So, there you have it…" Arnold finally finished his story.

"Huh...a little anticlimactic. I was expecting more from Helga G. Pataki. The most interesting part of that story was you and that Lizzie girl. So much for riding off into the sunset with your mysterious blond beauty."

"It's probably for the best." Arnold sighed sadly. "I still have conflicting feelings about her though."

"…What kind of feelings?" Gerald gave Arnold a questioningly look.

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't talking about those kind of feelings. It's just…I don't know. Apart of me thinks she's going to go back to the way she was, but a stronger part of me believes that she really has changed. You know how amazing that would be? Knowing I won't have to cringe or hold my breath waiting for her to do something nasty to me?"

"I wouldn't be so sure Arnold. it's only the first day. For all you know, she could have got amnesia again."

"Yeah...Well, only time will tell. There's no harm in being friendly back for now. People can change, right?"

"I don't know Arnold. What if it blows up in your face, and she goes right back to the person she was before?"

"I guess I'll deal with it then"

"...That Lizzie chick was right...you are too trusting…"

Arnold threw his pillow at Gerald. "Whatever, Gerald! I just hope everything went okay between her and Phoebe."

"Yeah me too."

"Speaking of Phoebe…"

"Oh boy...Here we go…"

"Hey, don't give me that. I finish my end of the bargain, now it's your turn. Start talking now!"

Gerald groaned as he hung off the bed. He changed his position and placed his head on Arnold's pillow, looking at the sky above him.

"Do you remember Chloe?" His voice was so low, Arnold had to lean in to hear him.

"Chloe? You're talking about the girl who used you to get closer to Jamie O."

"Yeah, well, I saw her again, during the summer of 8th grade."

"What!? Why didn't you tell me!? I was definitely home that summer! You didn't mention her at all!"

"It's not something, I wanted to mention Arnold."

"...What happened?"

* * *

"I remember it like it was yesterday. I left my house at around 2:30. Me and Gerald agreed to meet at the ice cream parlor at four, but I wanted to surprise him and get there early. Anyway, I decided to take the long way, and cut through the park since it was such a nice day. I was walking by when I heard some rustling in the bushes. I ignored it at first, assuming it was another couple having a make out session in broad daylight or worse. That was until, I happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar afro head, peeking out from the bushes."

"No way…" Rhonda muttered.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I wanted to turn away, but I had to make sure. So, I walked closer and moved the bushes out the way." Phoebe paused as the memories caused a look of pain that Helga quickly took noticed of.

"What did you see, Phoebe?" Rhonda said, not noticing the change in Phoebe's expression.

"What did I see? What I expected to see. Two teenagers making out in the bushes, ready to take their relationship to a whole new level. That wasn't the problem, of course. The problem was who those teenagers were. I'll never get that image out of my mind. Gerald laying on his back. A topless girl straddling his waist. The two of them in the middle of a passionate lip lock. His hands on her hips and her discarded top lying right next to him, along with her bra. There was no doubt in my mind, what they were about to do if I didn't stumble upon them. I don't know what possessed him to open his eyes, but he did and the first thing he saw was my tear streaked face."

"What did you do then?" Rhonda asked.

"I ran. I could hear him calling after me, telling me to stop, but I kept running till I got home. I flung the door open, ran to my room, and locked the door before collapsing on my bed, letting out all the tears that was building up inside me. It was almost as if he was right behind me the entire time. I heard pounding on my door. He was begging me to let him in, but I told him to go away and never speak to me again. It took a while, and I was sure he would never leave, but I guess my parents finally convinced him it was best to leave me alone for a while. So he did. He tried to talk to me afterwards. He tried to explain himself, but I never listened. Eventually, I guess he just gave up. Maybe he finally realized that it was over and nothing could fix it. He tries to talk to me every once and a while like today, but I never pay him any mind."

"Wow...I can't believe Gerald would do something so low. So… dirty." Rhonda said flabbergasted.

"I'm just glad I learned his true self back then. Before our relationship got any more serious."

"Do you have any idea who the girl was?"

"No... but I could tell by her figure that she was either older than him or super developed for her age. She was definitely packing way more than I have...even now."

"Ugh! I'm so heated right now!"

"Me too! I feel like finding that girl and ripping her limb from limb!" Helga added more weight to her statement by pounding her fists together.

"Yeah! And I feel like going to her house, raiding her closet, taking every article of clothing she owns, and burning it to ashes!"

Helga and Phoebe stared at Rhonda blankly.

"...What?" Rhonda cocked her eyebrow.

"Um...Rhonda...How exactly would that hurt her?"

"Well, I imagine her as a slut with great taste in clothes. So, I'm sure burning all her clothes would leave a much deeper scar than tearing her "limb from limb." Rhonda scoffed like Helga's idea of torture was amateur and mediocre at best. Phoebe couldn't help but laugh at Rhonda's reasoning.

"Well, I suppose you're right Rhonda. She did look like she had great style. Not that I could tell much since her giant boobs obscured my vision."

"Psh, who needs him!" Rhonda said with a wave of her hands. "I say we forget hair boy and all boys today! Come on, girls! It's time for an emergency Karaoke session!"

"Oh goodie! We can sing our favorite song in the whole wide world, while you fill Phoebe in about your exciting game of tag."

Rhonda paused." W-what song is that?"

"Oh you know...BULL FIGHTS AND SWORD FIGHTS-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rhonda screamed as she raced down the stairs.

Helga and Phoebe laughed and took their time getting up, knowing a fiery Wellington would be waiting for them downstairs.

"You okay Pheebs?"

"Yeah...I feel much better now that it's off my chest." Phoebe smiled before giving Helga a warm hug. "Thanks Helga…"

"What was that for?"

"Hm... Oh, I don't know? For being there for me? For being awesome? For being a great friend? Pick your favorite."

Helga giggled. "Is there an all of the above option?"

"For you? There's that and then some."

"Oh Pheebs! Knock it off with the sweetness before you give me a cavity. Come on, let's not keep the princess waiting any longer."

"Okay...we start with the second verse when we reach downstairs?"

"You betcha!"

* * *

"Gerald...you have to tell her."

"Arnold...It's too late."

"What do you mean!? It's never too late."

"Arnold...you didn't see the look in her eyes when she saw me. I broke her…completely. She'll never believe me, no matter what I say."

"But-"

"Okay, now it's your turn to drop the subject for something a little less serious."

"...Fine...Wanna shoot some hoops?"

"I thought you'll never ask."

* * *

_Okay this hiatus was completely unplanned. A lot of drama has been happening for the past few months. When the drama finally ended (Sorta), I had writers block. I still have it, but I decided to post chapters anyway in hopes I'll get over it soon. I don't know when I will put up the next chapter. I still have to edit, and since it's been months since I touched this fanfic, I've forgotten some things. I'll get to it though. I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting, and I hope you will continue to read. Thank you!_


	13. Chapter 13

"Wakey Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!" Helga groaned at the sound of giggling and Phoebe's unbearably sweet voice. "Ugh...what is it?" Helga rubbed her eyes and yawned before smacking her lips as she met eyes with Phoebe, who was looking at her with a plastic smile on her face. She cocked her eyebrow and raised it even higher when she saw that Rhonda was struggling to hold back her laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing, Helga. You should hurry home and change. School starts in an hour." Phoebe said casually without missing a beat.

"Oh, criminy! I actually fell asleep? When?" Helga scurried out of Phoebe's bed, taking a glance at her alarm clock.

"We all fell asleep after having a romantic movie marathon, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! I don't even remember closing my eyes." Helga paused for a minute. "But that still doesn't explain why you guys were laughing." Helga gave them her signature scowl, while the two girls whistled into the air.

"You guys-" Helga paused at Phoebe's mirror. She just so happened to catch herself in the reflection, and she was not pleased with what she saw.

"PHOEBE! RHONDA!" Helga screeched as she stared at her face. On her forehead, the words "I LOVE ARNOLD" was written with a red marker. Two footballs were drawn on both of her cheeks. As if that wasn't obvious enough, each football had a blue hat and yellow hair on top of it.

"YOU GUYS ARE DEAD MEAT!"

* * *

Arnold sighed as he brushed his teeth. He was up early this morning. Like super early. Like the sun didn't come up and the birds aren't chirping early. He had no one else to blame but himself. No, that's not true. He could actually blame his best friend. After playing basketball for a few hours, Arnold and Gerald decided to hit the ice cream parlor for a refreshing snack. They took their cones back home and was enjoying them while watching TV, when all of a sudden, Gerald had a spontaneous "woe is me" rant. It was like he got drunk off of ice cream. He went from arguing with Arnold about how disgusting rum raisin ice cream is, to crying about how much Phoebe loved ice cream, and how they were supposed to get ice cream the day they broke up. Arnold couldn't get him to stop. He was like a broken faucet. He kept whining about Phoebe so much that Arnold now knew their entire love story from elementary school till now. It was annoying, but it also made Arnold more determined to get the two of them back together. After he walked Gerald home, he went up to his room and thought of a plan. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't think of one. He wanted them together as soon as possible, but how do you get a couple to talk to each other when they haven't spoken in nearly five years? He couldn't plan it all by himself. He needed some help, and he knew exactly who to ask.

* * *

"Stupid Phoebe. Stupid Rhonda." Helga mumbled to herself as she walked down the street to her house. She rubbed her cheek in thought. She was worried that there were still some traces of marker left on her cheek, even though she already washed it a gazillion times. She hated to admit it, but her friends' prank was pretty funny. However, she wasn't going to admit it out loud to them. So she left Phoebe's house in a huff. She had a mixture of a scowl and a pout on her face the entire walk home. She would have to get them back somehow, but she could worry about that after she got dressed. Helga opened the front door of her house. She took a quick glance into the living room, expecting to see Big Bob reading the newspaper or Miriam passed out on the couch, but she nearly fainted when she saw who was sitting in Big Bob's signature chair.

"Hi, Helga!" Arnold said cheerfully, as if it was perfectly normal for him to be at her house.

"Arnold!? What the heck are you doing in my house, Football head!" She almost let out, but she took a deep breath and said "Arnold, what are you doing here?" instead.

"Well, I'm here to see you. I thought we could walk to school together."

Is this life? Helga thought to herself. Is this really happening? Is Arnold really here in her house like a prince on a white horse ready to escort her to the ball of her dreams? Okay, maybe that was a little far fetch, but she still couldn't believe he was actually in her house and ready to walk her to school! Dreams do come true! Wait till Rhonda and Phoebe sees them! Boy, will they be surprised!

"How did you get in here?" Helga asked the first thing on her long list of questions.

"Oh, well...you see..." Arnold scratched his head and blushed. "Your Dad let me in. He...uh...thought I was your boyfriend."

Helga wanted to disappear on the spot. She could only imagine how Big Bob treated Arnold when he opened the door. Yeah, she was definitely wishing this was a dream now.

"Oh." Helga said awkwardly. What else was she supposed to say? She was too embarrassed to laugh it off.

"Yeah, I tried to explain that I wasn't, but he just told me you were upstairs and left. I guess he was on his way to work."

"And I guess you figured out I wasn't upstairs pretty quickly, huh?"

Arnold chuckled. "The empty bed was kind of a dead giveaway."

"Okay, one more question. Where is my mother?"

"Oh, she was making herself a breakfast smoothie when I came in. Then she went upstairs,"

"A breakfast smoothie?" Helga snorted. "Is that what she called it?"

"Um...No, that's just what I assumed. What else could she be using a blender for this early in the morning?" Arnold asked confused.

"You'll be surprised..." Helga shook her head and sighed. "Just give me a minute to get ready, Arnold."

"Okay! I'll be right here when you're ready."

Helga raced up the stairs and closed her door with a thud. She turned on the shower and quickly hopped in, knowing that Arnold was downstairs waiting for her. Wait, she needed to repeat that thought in her mind again. Arnold. Downstairs. Waiting. For Her. Helga squealed quietly. If only she knew what her parents said to Arnold exactly. She would have to ask later and pray it wasn't anything so embarrassing that she would have to move across the state, which she would totally do if she had too. Arnold wasn't acting weird, so she guessed it wasn't anything too bad. Helga stepped out the shower and scanned her closet looking for her best outfit. She put it on and sprayed some perfume. She didn't have time to do her makeup or her hair, so with one more quick look in the mirror, Helga raced downstairs.

"That was quick." Arnold said, getting up.

"Not all girls take forever getting ready, Arnoldo." Helga teased lightly.

"Well that's a relief. My mother pretty much live in the bathroom."

Helga and Arnold laughed together as they walked down the street.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so early in the morning, but I really needed to talk to you...alone." Arnold said with emphasis on the "alone". "I kind of got a feeling, that you would be with Phoebe after school, and I definitely couldn't talk to you while she was around." Helga could feel her heart pounding in her chest at Arnold's words. Could it be...a confession of love? Hold it, Pataki! Helga told herself. This is reality! Nobody can have two dreams come true in one day. Calm down!

"Oh really? And why is that?" Helga said after she calmed down.

"Well...it's because I want you to help me get Gerald and Phoebe back together." Helga was shocked when that sentence left Arnold's mouth. She hated to say no to her beloved. It's not every day Arnold asked for favors, but there was no way she could set Phoebe back up with a cheater."

"Sorry, Arnold, but no can do."

"Why not?" Arnold stopped walking, genuinely surprised. "You know what happened between them, don't you?"

"Yeah, which is exactly why I can't help you. What kind of friend would I be if I let Phoebe get back together with that cheating jerk!?"

"Cheating jerk? Gerald isn-" Arnold paused. "Oh, I get it. I suppose from Phoebe's perspective; it would look like that."

"What do you mean? Gerald cheated on Phoebe. This isn't about perspective."

Arnold shook his head. "No, you're wrong, Helga. Gerald would never do that to Phoebe."

Helga cocked her eyebrow. Could she really believe what he was saying? Maybe he was just defending Gerald because they were best friends? But, she knew who Arnold was, and she knew he wasn't the type to excuse his best friend's actions. She decided there was no harm in hearing him out.

"Okay, Arnold. You got my attention. I'm all ears."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ah, the sweet smell of victory." Helga thought to herself as she walked down the hallway with Arnold, a triumphant smirk on her face as she reveled at the shocked expressions on her friends' faces. As if this moment wasn't spectacular enough, Lila was also one of the many shocked observers. Life could be oh so sweet sometimes.

"Hey, Helga, I've got to stop by my locker real quick." Arnold's voice broke her out of her bliss. "I'll see you in class, okay?"

"Okay, Arnold! Bye!" She waved him off, struggling to maintain normality as she could hear her friends' frantic footsteps approaching.

"Helga!" Rhonda was the first to reach her.

"Oh, Hello, Ladies. What a beautiful morning we're having, don't you agree?" Helga grinned as she continued to walk down the hallway.

"Very funny, Helga. Quit joking around! Why did you and Arnold come to school together?"

"I'm sorry? I'm ever so sure I don't know what you mean." Helga added as she walked past Lila, who was so obviously green with envy, her green shirt seemed yellow in comparison. "Who is this Arnold? I don't believe I know anyone by that name."

"Helga...If you don't start talking-" Rhonda began, but Phoebe's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"It's fine, Rhonda. Come on. If we leave now, we can make it to the library before homeroom starts, and print out those pictures of Helga we took last night. I'm sure Arnold will find them most amusing."

Helga stopped immediately and turned to face the two girls. "DON'T YOU DARE!"

"I'm sorry?" Phoebe said confused. "I thought you didn't know anybody by the name of Arnold, so why should you care if this random boy sees your photos?"

Helga sucked her teeth in disappointment. "You guys never let me have any fun..."

Phoebe laughed. "So we will discuss this at lunch?"

"Um...how about we talk after school?" Helga said quickly. "I have...um...homework to do, so I won't be eating lunch today."

"Hm... okay then," Phoebe said as the bell rung.

"See you later, Helga." Rhonda and Phoebe waved her goodbye, as they walked the opposite direction to homeroom.

Helga smiled as she watched her friends depart before leaving the hallway as well.

A look of pure hatred spread across her face when she saw who was also in her homeroom class.

"Good Morning, Helga. It's ever so nice to see you. I'm ever so happy to see that we're in the same homeroom."

"Oh, really, Ms. Sawyer? And why is that?" Helga said sarcastically as she walked past her seat. Like she was going to willingly sit next to Lila. Heck no.

"Please, don't be like that Helga. I really want us to get along. Maybe we can be friends!"

Helga snorted as she took a seat in the back. "Fat chance of that happening, darling."

Lila opened her mouth to protest before pausing in thought. "…Don't tell me you're still in love wi-"

Helga lurched out of her seat like a bat out of hell. She knocked over some desks on her way to cover Lila's big mouth. Luckily, she made it just in time before Lila could reveal her big secret in front of everybody in the room.

"Lila…" Helga growled under her breath. "Do you remember what I told you when I asked you to drop out of Romeo and Juliet?"

"Um...Which part are you particularly asking about Helga?"

"The strangle you with my bare hands part."

Lilia paled and gulped. "You said that you would...um...do just that if I told anyone."

"Yes...and just so you know, I never go back on my word. So if I was you, I would tread lightly and speak ever so softly."

"I'm ever so sorry, Helga." Lila finally said after she recovered. "I was just ever so surprised that you still liked...um...Romeo." Lila quickly added when she saw the murderous look in Helga's eyes.

"Well, I do."

"I see...That's ever so pathetic." Lila said casually with a sigh and a shook of her head. She said it so casually that Helga didn't even react right away.

"Yeah, I kno- Wait a minute! What did you just say!?"

"Oh, I didn't mean any disrespect, Helga. But I was just oh so certain that you would be over him by now. I mean, how many years has it been? Don't you think nine years is an awfully long time to like someone?"

Helga wanted to defend herself. She wanted to say she was wrong. Heck, she even wanted to say that she was pass liking Arnold. Her feelings for him have grown into something indescribable, and the more she talked to him the more those feelings grew. However, she couldn't even admit that, because in all honesty, her situation was pretty pathetic. Why is she still in love with Arnold? Why can't she move on? Why did her love for him grow instead of fade while he was away? How did one simple compliment turn into an unstoppable obsession?

"Helga?"

Lila's voice broke her out of her trance of self-pity. "I want you to know that I'm not saying this because I like Arnold. I do, of course, but I'm really saying this for your sake. I really think you need to move on and forget Arnold. It isn't healthy."

Lila threw a curveball that Helga wasn't ready for. What she said knocked her off her feet, and had her falling back into her trance. It probably wouldn't have bothered her so much if Lila was the only one saying it, but Doctor Bliss also said it too. She never said it as bluntly as Lila, but she did hint that Helga should move on. And maybe she should? Why should she continue to be single and helplessly in love with a boy who would never see her as more than a friend? Should she really give up on Arnold?

That was the question that lingered in Helga's mind, and nothing, not even Brainy's sudden appearance or the bell ringing, could make that question go away.

* * *

Arnold had to stop himself from turning around to glance at Helga. He had done it five times already, and he wasn't about to do it for the sixth time. She looked fine and healthy, and if anybody else was watching her as much as he was, it looked like she was having a normal conversation with her lab partner, who just so happened to be the one who tried to give him a knuckle sandwich during lunch yesterday. But he could tell, ignoring the glares coming from Vincent, who noticed that Arnold kept looking at their table, that there was something off with Helga. For one thing, she didn't say anything to him when she first came into class. She just walked right past him, ignoring his hi, and sat in her assigned seat with a faraway look in her eye. That look remained all throughout class. Arnold knew. He checked six times, and he mentally lectured himself for looking for the seventh time. He tried to be as discreet as possible, which seemed to work moderately well considering the fact that neither Lila nor the teacher said anything. Helga also didn't seem to notice, which he supposed was a good thing, but he secretly wanted those sparkling blue eyes to meet his; even for a second. It wasn't meant to be. The bell rung, and the girl with the blue eyes walked out of the door without sparing a glance at the boy who was worried sick about her.


	15. Chapter 15

"MS. PATAKI!"

That was the word that woke Helga from her trance.

"Yes, Ms. Blum?" Helga said from her seat in math class, vaguely remembering speaking to Phoebe and Brainy.

"You have a lot of nerve ignoring me, little girl, after missing detention this morning."

Detention? Oh, right. She remembered Ms. Blum yelling that at her yesterday.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blum, I-"

"Spare me your excuses. You just added another to your list."

Helga didn't even protest or show any sort of emotion. She was too tired.

Instead, she looked back down at her book and tried her hardest to figure out how she was going to talk to Arnold all by herself during Lunch.

* * *

"Hey, Arnold." Gerald smiled at his best friend who sat with a gusty sigh escaping from his lips.

"Hey, Gerald." Arnold said weakly.

"Dude, what's up with you?"

"Nothing's up with me, but there's something up with Helga."

"Pataki? Really?"

"Yeah, she's been acting weird and I don't know why. She was fine this morning."

"Speaking of mornings, I heard that you guys walked to school together." Gerald gave him a knowing look.

"Oh, yeah…"

"Care to explain?"

"Well…."

"Hi, Arnold." Lizzie walked up to the two boys.

"Lizzie, Hey." Arnold smiled up at her, thankful for the distraction.

"So, I have some pretty exciting news to tell you. You free during lunch?"

"Uh, sorry Lizzie, I actually have plans during lunch."

Gerald faked a gasp and put on a girly voice. "You have plans with someone other than me? How could you, Arnold? Who is she!?"

Lizzie laughed while Arnold rolled his eyes. "I just have homework to do, that's all."

"Mmhmm...whatever you say, Arnold."

* * *

"Brainy…Can I ask you something?" Helga said slowly, interrupting Brainy in mid-sentence, not that she was listening.

"Sure, Helga. I can tell there's something on your mind. You can ask me anything."

Helga bit her lower lip. She felt weird talking to Brainy about this, but she was dying to hear a second opinion and she couldn't bear to wait any longer. If she didn't talk to somebody now, her brain was going to explode from stress. She was sure of it! So instead of asking one of her best friends, she decided to go with the second best option. The boy she knew since childhood. Good ol' Brainy.

"Is it weird to like someone for nine years?"

Brainy smiled softly at Helga, as her face turned a vibrant shade of red. There was no need for further explanation. He was one of the few people who knew about Helga's feelings for Arnold. It made sense, of course, he lost over a hundred pairs of glasses because of it. Still, he knew that Helga openly talking about Arnold with him was a huge step. The fact that she was beginning to see him as a close friend made him extremely happy. That happiness overtook the twinge of jealousy at seeing Helga blushing over Arnold. He could answer it in a way that would benefit him, but he couldn't do that to her. Instead, he decided to be completely honest with her.

"No, of course it's not weird at all."

Helga smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Brainy.

"After all, I liked you for nine years and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. So if you're weird, I'm weird too, I guess." Brainy let out a laugh, ignoring Helga's open mouth. Okay, so maybe he did answer the question in the way that benefitted him, but hey, at least he didn't lie.

"You okay, Helga? You seem a little shocked." Brainy said after he noticed that Helga wasn't getting over her shock anytime soon.

"I-I didn't…I mean I did! But, I-I just didn't think that you still…" Helga trailed off, completely and utterly embarrassed and regretting even bringing up the topic.

"You thought it was just a little crush, huh?" Brainy started, laughing gently before looking into Helga's eyes with a serious expression on his face. "No…Helga it's not…I like you a lot. In fact, I can say with the utmost confidence that my feelings for you are as strong as your feelings for Arnold. I guess you could say we're pretty much the same. Which is why I don't think you should give up on him just because it's been nine years. That would be hypocritical of me. I haven't given up on you after all, and I don't think I will anytime soon."

Helga stared at Brainy speechless. She knew that Brainy had a crush on her, of course, she would have to be the world's densest person to not notice. Arnold had an excuse at least, but she sure as heck didn't. He even pulled out a ring once! Still, she never thought much of it, and she never saw him as anything more than her annoying shadow. But her shadow has been there since pre-school, and he's been watching her chase after Arnold all of these years. She didn't have to imagine how that felt, she knew firsthand. Helga felt awful knowing that she was putting Brainy through the same exact experience that she was going through. If only she could forget about Arnold! Here she has this amazing guy who liked her since…well…wait a minute…how long has Brainy liked her? Not to mention…why!? Now, her feelings for Arnold's could easily be explained. Her feelings, not her obsession, that's a topic for another day and a deeper discussion. But, seriously, what does Brainy see in her? If he just started liking her now, that she could understand, but Brainy liked her since elementary school, when she was in her Pataki prime. She never understood why. Well, it's never too late to ask, right?

"Why?" Helga blurted out, eager to know.

"Why, what?"

"Why do you like me? I mean, I was a total jerk to you Brainy! A total jerk! I just don't understand why you still continued to like me."

"Helga…There's not enough words in the dictionary to explain why I like you…"

"Well, pull out two of them and start explaining! I need to know!"

Brainy laughed to himself as the bell rung.

"Ugh! Brainy! You laughed too much! Now we have to go to lunch!" Helga punched him jokingly on the shoulder

"Good, it gives me more time to find words to explain why I like you so much." Brainy said as he grabbed his backpack. "Ready to go?"

"Actually, I'm not going to lunch."

"You got a secret date with Arnold, don't you? I knew it…The moment I saw you guys coming to school together, I had a feeling he took you from me. I didn't want to believe it, but I guess it's true. I lost! I'll never recover from this…Never!"

"Oh, Brainy, please…are you done?"

"Just about…" Brainy chuckled at Helga's death glare. "Ok, Ok, I'm done! See you later, Helga."

"See ya, Brainy!"

Helga smiled as she watched him leave. Despite Brainy's confession, she was still happy that she talked to him. She felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulder. Lila's comment was the last thing on her mind. As messed up as it sounded, knowing that someone was going through the same thing as her, made her feel a lot better about her ongoing feeling for Arnold. She still felt terrible for Brainy. A part of her wished that she could forget about Arnold to be with Brainy, but it wouldn't be for her own happiness, it would be for him. After all, no matter how hot Brainy has gotten, she still liked Arnold, and just like Brainy, she didn't think that was going to change anytime soon. However, she appreciated Brainy for everything. He's been looking out for her, ignoring his feelings, and he still doing that now. Rooting for her happiness, and he never pressured her to be with him. Ever. The conversation they just had made her realize that Brainy was a true friend.

* * *

Arnold tapped his finger, and bounced his leg as another car drove past the school. He's only been waiting for a minute, but Helga's behavior earlier was making him anxious. He was beginning to worry that she wasn't going to come and was just about to stand up and look for her, when the front doors opened.

"Hey, Arnold. Sorry I took so long. I had to use the bathroom."

"It's no problem, Helga." Arnold said, letting out a breath of relief. "Are you feeling okay, Helga?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, you've seemed out of it today. I mean, you were fine this morning I know, but are you sure nothi-"

"Oh, it's nothing, Arnold. I was just daydreaming." Helga said, brushing him off. "Now come on, stop thinking about me, and start thinking about how we are going to get Gerald and Phoebe back together.

Arnold frowned to himself before sighing in defeat. Helga was right after all. They didn't have much time, and she does seem a lot better.

"Yeah, okay, I guess you're right."

Helga smiled. "So, have you thought of anything yet?"

"Yeah, it's kind of clichéd, but what if we locked them in a room together."

Helga frowned. "I mean…I don't know, Arnold. I think that would just piss Phoebe off more. Plus, there's not guarantee that she won't rip Gerald's head off before he explains himself."

"Phoebe wouldn't do that…would she?"

Helga snorted. "Trust me, Arnold. Phoebe is not pretty when she's angry. In fact, she can be pretty darn scary."

"Well, shoot. It took me all day to think of that one. I got nothing."

Helga and Arnold sat in silence for a moment.

"Oh!" Helga said suddenly! "How about a letter!?"

"A letter?"

"Yeah, we write a letter pretending to be Gerald, explaining the entire situation, and put it in Phoebe's locker."

"It sounds good, but based off of what you just said about Phoebe when she's mad, wouldn't she rip the letter to pieces as soon as she gets it?"

"I'll prevent that from happening. I'll make her read it! Even if I have to tie to a chair, and hold her eyes open…either that or I'll just read it to her. Besides, once Ms. Wellington finds out about that letter, she'll be begging for Phoebe to read it just so she can know the contents. Phoebe won't be able to tell her no."

Alright, Helga, sounds like a plan."

"Great. I'll leave the letter writing to you, Arnold. You are his best friend, after all. I'm sure you can make it sound more Gerald like than me."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

"You know; I think I'm in the mood for some romance." The whole class stared at Mr. Felter as he sighed in thought. Those were literally the first words from his mouth after he sat down and stared at the class for a minute. "I haven't read a good romance novel in forever. How many of you love a good love story?" A few hands were raised, mostly by girls. "Hmph…well, that's disappointing. Love is such a great thing to write about, and an even better thing to read." Mr. Felter paused again, his finger tapping on his chin. "Alrighty then, raise your hand if you prefer horror over love?" Mr. Felter smiled at the ratio, the boys the majority this time. "I see, how interesting." Mr. Felter got up from his desk and began writing down the list of people who like love stories and horror stories on the board.

"That looks about right?" The class nodded and mumbled yes.

"Good, then here's your assignment for the next 15 minutes. I want these people" Mr. Felter pointed to the people listed under love story. "To write a horror story, and I want the other group to write a love story."

The whole class groaned in disapproval. "Now, now kids. Don't be like that. We can't all have what we want and sometimes you have to do things, even if you hate it."

Mr. Felter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "And um…I kind of didn't finish grading your papers, so I would like the time now to do it, so I can at least give it to you by the end of class, so just humor me okay? We will get into the nitty gritty soon, but for now, just write and try your best."

Arnold sighed as he watched his fellow classmates begin writing. He should have just went with his gut and picked romance. Now he had to write the one thing he was most certainly not good at. He just wasn't cut out for romance. He was too awkward and sometimes a bit too mushy for it. There's no way he could write a good love story without making it seem like a giant slice of cheese and clichés. Unfortunately, he had no choice. So instead of writing about the very few crushes that he had, he decided to write about a couple who was way more realistic and a lot less cheesy. Another light bulb went off inside Arnold's head. He could just write the letter like he was planning on doing. He could think of it as a rough draft, and get a teacher's opinion on it without anybody knowing! It's not like he had to read it out loud or anything. With that genius thought in his mind, Arnold immediately began writing.

"Alright guys, time is up! Is everybody finished?" Mr. Felter asked as he watched his students put down their pens and papers.

"Excellent! Now, let's see here…we still have another 30 minutes right?" He glanced at the clock before smiling at his students once more. "Great! That leaves me plenty of time to hear all of your amazing stories!"

Groans of disapproval went across the room, while Arnold sat frozen in his chair.

"We have to read them out loud!?" A kid from the back of the class asked without raising his hand.

"Yes!"

"But what if we don't want to!?"

"Doesn't matter. You have to read them anyway."

Another set of groans filled the classroom.

"Alright class settle down. Look, I'm willing to compromise with all of you. I'll give you two options. You can choose to read your paper out loud or I can read it for you. The choice is yours. Pick the better of the two evils. Either way, every single paper in this room is getting read today. In return, I will give you your graded papers from yesterday. Now, who wants to start us off?" Mr. Felter scanned the room, paying extra attention to the students who was avoiding eye contact with him and ignoring the ones who was raising their hand to volunteer.

"Let's start with a love story…Arnold!"

Arnold jumped in surprise after hearing his name called. "Yes, Mr. Felter?"

"Inspire us with your creativity. Let's hear your lovely dovey love story."

"Um…actually Mr. Felter, I-" Arnold began.

"You want me to read it instead?"

"Um well, ye- I mean no! I would rather not have it read at all."

Mr. Felter laughed out loud. "Arnold, you know that wasn't one of the options."

"I know, Mr. Felter but-"

"Arnold…" Mr. Felter said with a warning tone. "Do you want your paper back?"

"Well…yes sir I do but- "

"Then, I suggest you give me your paper or start reading."

"But Mr. Felter- "

"Make your decision, lad."

Arnold sighed in defeat and buried his head in his hands as Mr. Felter grabbed the paper from his desk.

Gerald was going to kill him.

Mr. Felter cleared his throat as he skimmed Arnold's story. He smiled at what he saw, and began reading in a loud voice.

_I should have told you the truth when I had the chance. I should have made you listen to me. I know it's a bit too late now, but I have to get this off my chest. I know you probably won't believe me now, but that day, I was going to tell you that I loved you. It would have been the first time I would have said those words to you since we started going out. I was expecting to see your face wide and happy with a grin. Instead, I saw your tear stricken face. And for that, I am sorry. I know what I did hurt you more than anything, but please believe me when I say this to you. I never meant to hurt you. It wasn't a misunderstanding. It wasn't an accident. It's something more than that. Please, just give me the chance to explain this to you in person. That's all I ask from you, the girl I still love. Just one chance to right my wrongs, and win your heart again. If you don't want to after reading this letter, I understand, and I thank you for taking the time to read this. I'll leave you alone for now on. But please think of this as my final message to you, and take this as my last words. I still and probably always will love you, Phoebe Heyerdahl. You're my first true love, and I will never forget you. Thank you for all the happy times and moments we shared. _

_Gerald_

Mr. Felter put the paper back down on Arnold's desk, ignoring the murmurs and shock expressions on his students faces.

"Beautifully written Arnold. You are quite the romantic if I do say so myself." Mr. Felter laughed heartily.

"…Thank you, Mr. Felter." Arnold mumbled out, his face redder than a tomato and still buried in his hand. He couldn't face Gerald now. He could only imagine his facial expression. He was so dead…

"You have a good friend, Gerald! Any girl would fall for lines like those."

"I…um…" Gerald uttered clumsily, unable to get a sentence out.

"And Phoebe?"

"Y-Yes Mr. Felter?"

"Trust me when I say this. Even though Arnold was the one who wrote this, I got a pretty strong feeling that those are Gerald's true feelings. If I was you, I would listen to what Gerald has to say. After all, you only get one true love. If you're going to let it end, at least get the full story first, okay?"

Phoebe eyes widen at Mr. Felter's words. "Yes, you're absolutely right, Mr. Felter. Thank you." Phoebe offered him a small but grateful smile.

"No problem." Mr. Felter said, returning the smile. "All right, that's enough of that. Let's ruin this super sappy romantic atmosphere with some bone chilling horror! Who wants to go next?"

As Mr. Felter looked for his next victim, four of his students was having a conversation with their eyes only. Arnold sent an apologetic look to Helga, who merely shrug her shoulders, before shooting that look to the one who really deserved it. Gerald stared at Arnold. Hard. After a while, he let out a breath and rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. He let Arnold's expression change from apologetic to straight up sad, before he let his friend off with a smile, letting him know that everything was cool and he forgives him. Now, for the moment we all been waiting for... Gerald slowly turned to Phoebe, who caught his gaze. Her expression was blank for the longest time, as if debating as to rather she should really talk to him or not. But the next thing she did, made Gerald's heart soar to the sky. Phoebe sighed as she mouthed out the words, "We'll talk after class" to him. After that, she turned away from him and kept her eyesight firmly on Mr. Felter the entire class period. But Gerald didn't care. Phoebe was finally giving him the chance to tell her what happened. He just hoped he wouldn't waste it.


End file.
